April 2nd
by Azure129
Summary: A sequel to Perfect Ten! Arnold and Helga just got back to the boarding house after the April Fools dance...we know there was some kissing...Now see how that kissing came about...and the morning  and weeks  after! AXH naturally!
1. The Night Before

**A/N:**

Hey guys :D:D:D

So, do to circumstances ENTIRELY beyond my control (English GRE subject test in two weeks…spent the last month reading every piece of major classical lit that my study book recommended…took tons of notes on tons of other stuff too… COLLEGE was easier!) I have literally had NO time for fanfiction! Which is sad because, um…in case the hundreds of thousands of words of it that I write didn't tip you off, I LOVE fanfiction :)

Okay, but, getting back to this, since LTBH probably won't be up for a little while longer or anything else I'm working on or planning to work on (applying to grad school, full time job, bunch of other stuff, etc.) I at least wanted to post something because I've missed you guys and reading reviews and stuff :)

So, anyway, this is a preview/possibly the first chapter of a sequel to Perfect 10 I'm writing called "April 2nd". I've got a few more chapters worth of it drafted so I'm hoping the posting can be a lot quicker than for something as complicated and long as LTBH.

Special thanks to a bunch of people I've been having a bunch of fun taking with outside of ff dot net—NintendoGal, Broken Rose, Pyrex Shards, DarthRoden aka Carl, Ed Crane :) And special thanks also to a few fun people I've been talking with via ff dot net—SuprSingr, GrimXlullaby, etc.

And this one goes out to anyone who's ever woken up someplace they did NOT expect to wake up, lol ;) (I'm personally flashing back to a futon in a random house ten miles from my apartment after a college party…and I was missing my shoes and vaguely recalled a fedora, Sunny-D screwdrivers, and many glasses of apple juice that DID NOT taste like just apple, and having a convo in broken English, Spanish and Russian with some friends of mine. Then I think I did a walk of shame in my clothes to the coffee shop near the school and just praying I wouldn't run into any of my professors…Yeah, not my finest hours…lol.)

But back to Arnold and Helga's night together ;)

**If you haven't read ****Perfect Ten**** this will make NO contextual sense! Please read it :D Thank you!**

**Here we go!**

**APRIL 2****ND**

**Chapter 1:**

**The Night Before...**

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"So…um…good ice cream…" Arnold shifted a little against the couch cushion upon which he was seated.

Helga just swallowed hard, shifting in her finally dry dress. "Uh, yeah…pretty good, Football Head…"

Well…now what?

The two kids just sat there in silence, the TV on low airing some kind of generic show that they'd really only turned on so as to have something to watch while they had eaten...and they'd only eaten really so that they could stall the inevitable…

"S-So…" Helga finally managed, leaning back against the couch, NOT looking to Arnold.

It was his turn to swallow hard now. "Yeah…so…"

It wasn't that both kids didn't know they needed to have the impending conversation. It was just…well…where to even begin?

And then Helga took a deep breath, turned to face him, and took the plunge. "I love you, Arnold." She said it simply… No dramatics or hysterics or sarcasm. Just that. The thing they needed to talk about, no frills attached. A blush couldn't help but flower in her cheeks though regardless of how calm she was trying to seem. _'Might as well just get to it_…' After all, if there ever had been an ideal night for it, it was probably this one…all things considered…

Arnold, meanwhile, a bit surprised by her bluntness, just sat there, his eyes turned to her, a blank look on his face like he was processing something…and of course he _was_… After all, it… just seemed so strange to be able to condense everything that had been going on between them over the last week…or the last seven years… into those four small words. I love you, Arnold. The very idea of them made him swallow hard and only increased his paralysis.

After quite a few seconds of being patient with his little wide-eyed stare, Helga had to scowl and felt some of her defensive nature kick in. "Hey, now it's your turn to say something, paste for brains! That's how a conversation works—I speak, you speak, repeat. Pretty simple. Crimeny, what are you waiting for?"

The question was rhetorical of course…and yet something about it couldn't help but make an interesting thought pop into Arnold's head. "Sorry, Helga…" he began quietly…and then a small half smile came to his face.

Helga just rolled her eyes, unable to help falling a bit more into her defensiveness with how nervous she was feeling about all of this. "And just what's so funny, Football Head?" After all, mocking had always been the thing she feared most about sharing her secret with anyone… And with how deeply she'd shared it with him already, well, she was just a little hypersensitive right now to say the least.

Arnold, at her question, just blinked a couple of times and blushed just a little, realizing what he'd just done. "Oh, um…nothing, Helga, I—" he quickly tried to explain.

"Oh do NOT give me that!" she cut him off firmly, though, even glaring at him a little. "Now spill—just what's so funny about the fact that I…" Her voice faltered a little, as did her scowl, "That I…love you."

Arnold, realizing that, despite her anger, Helga might actually be feeling like he was mocking her a little with that smile he had given, decided to put his own embarrassment aside for a moment and to explain the small grin at her question from before about 'what he was waiting for'. "Nothing's funny about it, Helga…I guess I just smiled like that because you…asked me what I was waiting for, and…an answer kind of popped into my head because…" he swallowed, feeling a strange, warm feelings go through him as a very particular memory from only about a week ago flashed through his mind. "It's just that…well…if what you just said was another confession…I guess part of me couldn't help but wonder…well…" he felt himself blushing furiously but after everything that had been passing between them lately…he was starting not to care too much about it…He finally finished his question, "…where's the kiss?"

Helga remained scowling at him for a second or two longer.

And then she raised part of her brow.

And then her mouth opened slightly like she was about to say something, but no sound came out.

A cautious look followed and a blank one finished things up.

Well here was an unexpected reaction to her admitting her love yet again. '_Where's the…huh?'_

Arnold meanwhile was finding these changing facial expressions rather amusing to say the least. "Okay, Helga…" he had to try hard not to laugh, "Well, since you did it that first time you confessed…I guess it's my turn…"

He knew it was a little bold… He also knew that he'd been _liking_ letting things get a little bold with her lately.

And so he finally summed up his courage, and leaned forward and closed his eyes…just like that first time back at Slausen's when he'd kissed her… (and all because he'd been afraid of liking it, of all things!)… And even though he was just a little afraid and worried right now too, something told him that this was right…_a lot_ of things told him that, actually… Things like how much fun they'd had back in the pool at the dance, things like how good it had felt to hold her hand as they'd walked home…things like how perfectly they fit together when their lips touched…like all those times between last weekend and now this weekend. '_Anyway, she's probably a little worried about everything right now…about being here and stuff… So maybe this'll show her I'm serious though about…liking her…a lot_.'

His soft lips softly met hers.

And it felt very nice…very, very, very nice….very— "MMM!"

Arnold wasn't entirely sure what had just happened but now he was lying plastered on his back with the back of his head against the arm of the couch and something was definitely on top of him. '_Ah—I...Ah…_'

His eyes flew open and he felt his face burn with heat as he realized that Helga had just thrown him back like that in response to his kiss, suddenly participating in the action in a very 'active' way to say the least. His heart pounded like crazy at the knowledge that the warm weight on top of him was indeed _her_…and then his stomach flipped and familiar places around his torso _seared_ as her arms came tightly around him just like they had on the roof of that building. He felt his eyes widen and his breathing through his nose become heavier…But then…

…Then Helga lightly moaned and the sound…sent something through him that made his breath catch in his throat for just a second and his eyes drift closed…

His mind blanked and then tingled, his heart fluttered in wild little leaps and bounds, he was floating, he was flying, he was...he was...

And then he finally fully accepted that...that there was nothing to be scared about. There was nothing to fight or be confused or nervous over...not anymore.

He liked kissing Helga. And Helga liked kissing him.

_'We like...kissing...together.._._'_

And so, now, his shock and fears and panic suddenly all tossed aside in the wake of how much he couldn't deny that he was...quite happy, with Helga, like this...Arnold finally just let himself enjoy her kiss and didn't struggle or resist her passionate, loving advances anymore.

And soon, feeling a little like...like maybe kissing back (and he meant REALLY kissing back, not just not fighting her advances), Arnold did his best to follow his instincts with this whole thing, just like he'd done back in that back room at Slausen's last weekend...the first time _he'd_ ever been the one to kiss _her._..And suddenly it came to him.

He recalled their former kisses, both the real ones...and the ones from dreams...and then slowly, nervously...happily...moved his arms up around Helga's body to hold her steady and to even pull her closer. And, just like that time back at Slausen's, he felt her stiffen just a little at first...but then of course twist even more against him all on her own, further compressing them against each other in their tight embrace.

He let out a happy sigh from his nose...Apparently he'd done the right thing.

Several…_several_…seconds later Helga let out a sigh through her nose and separated from Arnold's lips just slightly. She just let out a girlish sigh. '_Hey as long as things are headed this way might as well savor the moment… You know, just in case he wakes up tomorrow and realizes it was all just the heat of the moment…or if I wake up and somehow this does just turn out to be some wonderful dream caused by inhaling all that chlorine filled air from around the pool. Oh __Arnold__…' _For a moment she just allowed herself to savor the feeling of his warmth mingling with hers...the feeling of his body in her arms. And of course the sensation of how his lips had felt…firm, tender, supple, playful, cool yet warm…and of course sweet from the ice cream. She just wanted to die right there, in total bliss…every potential point of happiness inside of her feeling completely fulfilled…

Arnold's eyes now fluttered open, a smile on his face, as he felt cool air meet his lips. He just gazed into Helga's daydream-hiding eyes. "Um…" he began in a daze from his freshly kissed lips... "So…" He really couldn't come up with anything though at the moment, to be honest. What was there to say? She was perfect and he simply couldn't believe he hadn't seen it all along. And he just couldn't believe that someone so secretly perfect would actually be so very pleased with _him_…but here she was…his Deep Voice…his Helga…his… (His thoughts were progressing in a daze)…his lovely, his love..his _love_ly…lo—

She giggled. Arnold's hazed thoughts now went elsewhere. He had never heard her giggle like that…heard ANY girl giggle like that. So warmly and sweetly. "_So_…" she cooed lightly back to him with a half smile. He felt like melting inside, just like that ice cream melting on the table near them.

And then he just chuckled, and moved one of his hands and brushed aside a wisp or two of her hair that had managed to come out of one of her pigtails over the course of their adventures that evening. "You're interesting, Helga…." he informed her yet again in their lives, a small chuckle underlying his warm tone. '_You know…I wonder if this is what she would have wanted to do on that building if we hadn't had to get back to the neighborhood to stop those bulldozers_…' He recalled, after her confession, her trying to kiss him again and again, wanting to lay down with him, to hold him… Oh boy it felt good to be held by her…to hold her…Yes, _finally_ to have it back after a week of having that whole wonderful world of that side of her shut down to him like it had always been…though, before, he just hadn't realized it.

"And _you're_ still my date, Football Head…" Helga replied simply to him. Her eyes were so half lidded…he hadn't seen her look like that since FTi… She then moved one of her hands up near his shoulder and twirled a piece of his hair in a couple of her fingers… Oh it made him want to smile forever. "And I'm still your poor blind friend in your _good_ hands…" she finished, snuggling herself a little more against him (and of course against his good hands that were still holding firmly around her torso).

A small part of Arnold felt like getting shy again, pulling his arms away, running and hiding at what she was saying to him…just like he'd felt like doing during and after her confession. Luckily the rest of him (the majority, conveniently enough), just happily let his hands absorb the warmth underneath them from her body…and Arnold felt his smile grow. "Yeah…" he began in that low, warm whisper he couldn't help speaking to her in, "My poor…blind…"

The sentence hung…

And their eyes drifted shut as they kissed again…

* * *

"Mmm…" Helga moaned in half-sleep, squinting her already closed eyes a bit. She tried to turn her face towards and snuggle into whatever nice thing she was leaning against to shield her eyes. "Someone close that shade...stupid bright light…"

Arnold, in his half sleep, hearing this sentence, couldn't help but smile, pulling close against him whatever warm slightly heavy thing was serving him in place of a blanket, and reply sleepily, "Sorry…I'll…get it…in a minute…I promise…"

Helga let out a content sigh. "Thanks, Arnold…"

Arnold yawned. "Sure, Helga…"

There were several seconds of peaceful silence.

This silence then continued (though with bit more tension…a LOT more tension…) as both Arnold and Helga suddenly opened their eyes…quite wide actually…and just remained like that for several seconds. Each of them took in a breath and then let out a breath…and then slowly turned to look at each other, Helga looking forward and up into Arnold's face as she was laying against his chest (his arm around her back, pulling her close), and Arnold turning forward and down to look at Helga who was currently laying against him (her arms wrapped snugly around his body).

Each took a frightened breath…

Arnold was the first one to swallow hard and open his mouth and try and make a sound. "Helga…" he managed to get out…

"Ah!" At the sound of her name from him Helga instantly flew back with a start, pressing herself against the other end of the couch, clutching the blanket from last night around her in obvious total terror. Her eyes darted here and there and her heart was practically in cardiac arrest. The denial raced through her. '_I…What am I doing here? With him! I-I-I…Oh!'_ She was so panicked at her position she couldn't even begin to figure out what to do next.

She had spent the night at…at Arnold's!

No, it couldn't be.

And yet…

She'd come here with Arnold on April 1st…and to the best of her senses…it now seemed to be April 2nd.

'_Oh…my…_'

If Helga still wasn't feeling prepared for how to deal with her life now that Arnold, every once in a while, seemed to be…kind of liking her… like-liking her… How could she even BEGIN to field this one?

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**A/N:**

Yeah, things get awkward from here on out (but when DON'T they in my fics, lol?) ;) Anyway, like I said, I'll possibly be using this fic as an outlet for my HA! love until I have time for LTBH and all of its insanity, so until then…

Read, review, repeat…please :)

Love and hugs!

~Azure129 aka Jenna


	2. The Morning After YET AGAIN

**A/N:**

Alright, YAY, update :D Okay, prepare for a morning's worth of awkward conversation between Arnold and Helga! They came back to his place last night, made out a little, woke up in each other's arms, and now….O.O LOL I hope you guys like this ^_^ Review please!

**APRIL 2ND**

**Chapter 2:**

**The Morning After (yet again)**

**(because I just realized today that the second chapter of "Perfect Ten" is called "The Morning After"...Weird O.O Enjoy! :D)**

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Arnold processed Helga's sudden reaction of screaming and flying away from him on the boarding house den couch…and his own eyes went wide as it washed over him as well finally that…he had just woken up with somebody in his arms…Helga G. Pataki…sleeping in his arms. '_She…that wasn't a dream…She's really here. We really…We must have fallen to sleep together or…or something_…' He sat up a bit, his eyes still wide, and reached out a hand, making a move to crawl toward the girl he had just woken up with. "Helga…I—"

"AH!" Helga instantly squeaked again at him coming closer like that, spazzing back and actually falling back over the arm of the couch this time and onto the floor.

Arnold instantly stood up in concern. "Helga, are you okay?" He began to walk toward her.

Helga, currently seated upon the floor in fright, facing Arnold, just scrambled back away from him, looking scared beyond all reason as she did so. "NO! Just…Stop moving! Please!" She held up a hand and waved it defensively.

Arnold instantly stopped all forward motion at her pleas, raising an eyebrow. "Helga, what is it?" he asked with a serious amount of concern at this point. '_Did I do something…? I mean, I know it was a little…surprising waking up like that…especially after last night_…' He felt warm blood beginning to heat his cheeks and his thoughts begin to wander but he stopped himself, coming back to the situation at hand. '_But…why is she this upset?'_ For a moment, it flashed into Arnold's mind that maybe she was regretting what they had done last night and he felt a sadness sting him. What if he had taken advantage of her feelings, what if she hadn't been ready for something like what they had done yet, what if she never wanted to see him again? Oh he was ready to get down on the floor and beg her to not hate him if that was the case! "What did I do?" he asked with so much confusion.

Helga, meanwhile, indeed still upon the den floor, just swallowed and did her best to take a few breaths before replying to Arnold's question in a calm voice, trying to keep her pounding heart under control, "No, nothing, you didn't do anything. It's…" She closed her eyes for a moment to focus. "Just….give me a minute!" she finally exclaimed! "I…This isn't happening and I just need a minute to make myself wake up!" '_Wake up, wake up, wake up, oh PLEASE wake up!'_

The confused and worried look remained on Arnold's face for a few seconds more…but then melted into an understanding (and relieved) smile and he unconsciously took another step toward her. "Helga…" he began again, kindly.

Her eyes flew open and she scrambled away some more at the sound of his voice and movement forward, breathing heavily once again. "NO! Stop! Don't touch me, it…it's too much!" She closed her eyes tight once more and began to almost chant to herself desperately. "We didn't come back here last night, I didn't tell you I loved you again, you didn't make some stupid joke about how if this was another confession then where was the kiss, and you didn't kiss me this time because I was completely frozen at that question, and I didn't start kissing you back and we didn't end up like that together on that couch against each other all night after a date! It—it's impossible!" She opened her eyes, fully expecting to be back in her familiar pink room…only to swallow hard with unease at the sight of the boarding house den still around her. '_Oh my…how, how do I even begin to…Oh…_' Her thoughts raced.

"Well…" The sound of Arnold's voice starting to speak again caused Helga's wide eyes to snap up to the sight of him now sitting back down on the couch, not coming near her again as per her request. He had a small grin on his face and his wide head rested in one of his hands as he went on, watching her warmly, "Well, if all that really was a dream, Helga, then we must have had the same one because that's pretty much how I remember last night after we came back here…" Helga felt heat flood her face at the sight of the warm blush that then crept into Arnold's features at this little attempt at a joke. He glanced away with a little shy smile.

Helga just watched him for several more seconds, allowing her breathing to calm once more, and then finally, shakily managed to stand up, eyeing him cautiously the whole time. "So…" she began hesitantly, taking a very small step back toward him and the couch, "So we really both, um…that all really happened? And this is real now too…Arnold?" She swallowed and then barely managed to sit on her end of the couch again, though she kept herself pressed against its arm in order to remain as far away from her beloved as possible: considering the situation, even the idea of she and Arnold touching or being close in any way seemed highly likely to make her explode with nervousness, and she didn't want to take any chances. '_I cannot believe I did that last night. I cannot believe I was that bold. I cannot believe I…I…Did I technically make out with Arnold? OH, I…How could I let myself get that carried away? He…I…__Oh__!'_

Arnold glanced up at Helga's questions and their eyes met. He swallowed hard, unable to break away from her expectant gaze and yet at the same time now feeling as well, at her return closer to him, a touch of that panic she herself had been expressing at their proximity. "Well…um…yes…" he began in reply and felt himself blush furiously as he suddenly found himself adding in confirmation of her summary of the night before, "You confessed again and this time I…kissed you...and then I guess we both got a little carried away and then fell asleep…together…" He gulped and glanced away again.

Not hearing her say anything back to him for a few seconds, Arnold managed to glance over at Helga once more out of the corner of his eye…only to be met with a quite disappointed and sad look upon her face. He was about to question it, when suddenly she replied to him, obviously trying to sound casual, "Oh…kind of like a…a heat of the moment thing…?" Helga awaited an answer to the question with bated breath. '_Okay so my theory about all of last night just being a dream is out the window…But come on, even though it really did happen, I KNOW him—he's going to want to take it back. He was just loopy from the pool fumes and from me planting another epic one on him like that all of a sudden last night after he gave me that little peck on the lips…Yes, he'll say it was all heat of the moment and then I'll go home and we'll resume our normal lives. Plain and simple…Right?'_

Arnold, however, luckily realized, thanks to Helga's very specific phrasing of her latest question, exactly what she was trying to ask and what she might be getting at…and so did his best to answer truthfully with a swallow…and a small shake of his head. "I don't…I don't think so…Not really, Helga…And even if it was all in the heat of the moment, I'd…I'd want to do it again…" And then he looked right into her eyes and stated plainly and simply, "I wanted to hear you say it again, Helga...that you love me…and I wanted kiss you…both of them for a while now actually…" The blushing returned and he glanced down shyly again. "I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable though…If you want I can see if my Grandpa's up and he can take you ho—" Arnold stopped and felt his breath catch in his throat at the feeling of Helga's lips suddenly upon his cheek.

They were removed in an instant, leaving a warm impression behind on his skin that made Arnold's heart flutter and a happiness well up inside of him. "Um…thanks…Helga…" was all he could reply with a goofy grin. '_She believes me…and she's next to me again…I made her feel better…' _He was so grateful he could have laughed.

"Hey, I…" Helga started casually, now sitting next to him, obviously trying to sound sarcastic though her tone was sweeter than anything else, "I just wanted to shut you up with all the apologizing and junk. Crimeny, you're such a Football Head!" '_He…It wasn't…And he wanted…It's…a miracle.' _She could have cried and now just hoped, hoped, hoped that no stupid ringing phone or stupid alarm clock or stupid call from downstairs from Bob or Miriam would wake her up, leaving her in the pink blankets of her bed alone…She hoped with all of her heart that being seated upon a cozy blanket on this couch with Arnold was really real instead…and in her heart she knew it was…and that fact filled her all the more with joy.

Arnold smiled at Helga and Helga smiled at Arnold…sitting next to one another together in happy quiet upon the boarding house couch in their suit and dress respectively…What a lovely way to end a date.

A second or two more passed and then suddenly both children couldn't help squinting as a little more morning sunlight filtered into the room through the window in front of them. Arnold instantly recalled how it had woken them up and Helga's complaint about it. "Oh, um…let me shut the blinds…" he offered politely and then stood and walked across the room to perform this task…more concerned though with using the chore to try and give himself a few seconds to think now that his trance of smiling and gazing into Helga's eyes had been broken for a moment. After all it had been a pretty full night…and this whole 'morning after' thing probably had to be handled delicately (if her nearly scrambling away in fear before had been any indication). '_So do I_…' his innocent, panicked young thoughts began, '_Are we…boyfriend and girlfriend now or something? I-I mean..._' he felt heat flood his face at the idea, _'She told me she loved me again and my first reaction was to kiss her! But…I don't…I mean…love? I…I don't even know what that is?'_ Needless to say, after a full night's sleep, Arnold was thinking a bit more with his head than his heart right now. And yet a slightly dreamy look couldn't help come to his face as he added to himself sincerely, '_But I do like her…a lot. And I like that she loves me…a lot. And I liked our date…A LOT_.'

And then he had to try very hard not to chuckle as he added, finally reaching the window and offending blinds, '_And I even kind of like that I…got to figure out exactly what she was doing with that pillow in her bed last week when she was dreaming about me…It's even better kissing her when we hold each other like that_….' He actually let out a sigh at the memory …her arms coming around him snugly and how nervous and scared and excited it had all made him… eventually hugging her close just as she hugged him…The warm blanket around them…Kissing her in the semi darkness of the room as the night had gone on…A mixture of smiling, laughing, sighing …their hearts beating against each other and feeling so…so perfectly right… And then at one point how it had made him feel…how it had made him almost…shiver, was the only word for it, really…when, lost in things after a while, Helga had suddenly pulled her lips back just a little and whispered his name softly and happily for no reason. And he'd been going to say hers back to her but her lips had descended to his suddenly once again and then the next thing he recalled was waking up now…

Arnold began to adjust the blinds almost automatically, his head was so bogged with memories of his night with Helga G. Pataki in his arms.

And along with these memories, it also interested Arnold how he hadn't fully realized and accepted it until then but being with her and really talking with her and kissing her was what he had been wanting to do this entire week when Helga had frustrated him so very much by going back to pretending to hate him following her birthday… It was like something had released when they had both just given in to it all last night…and for the first time in seven days Arnold could finally breathe. And also, well…he didn't exactly have any complaints about the simple fact that he had spent the hour or two before falling sleep yesterday evening locked in deep, tender kisses with Helga G. Pataki, in general. _'Last night was even better than that dream I had about her and the confession last weekend…and I didn't think anything could feel better than that…' _He had to almost laugh at the fact that a week ago he had been all but terrified of liking kissing Helga in real life just as much as he liked kissing her in his dream…and now he liked the real life stuff _even more! _And it made him happy! Who could have guessed?

Without really thinking (and with a very dazed look on his face at this point) Arnold finished up the motions of adjusting the blinds and then turned back to the couch and was about to shuffle back over in his dreamy state…when he stopped and blinked at and unexpected sight suddenly before him. Helga was still sitting upon the couch but now she had head resting in one of her hands…and she looked like she was in serious, deep thought about something.

"Helga?" Arnold asked, an eyebrow raised.

She didn't make a motion of having heard him.

He approached, an arm outstretched. "Helga?" he tried again.

The motion forward combined with her name again from her beloved's lips caused Helga to finally look up and blush slightly as she realized she had obviously gotten a little lost in her thoughts. "Oh! Uh…sorry, Arnold…I was just…thinking about some things and I…" She swallowed and glanced down. "Well, I mean, I've never really considered… 'the morning after,' I guess you'd call it…I-I mean…I've imagined you reacting to all of this love stuff by, um…by kissing me among other things but…I never thought about what would happen _later_…" She actually smiled as she added, looking back up at him, "My dreams always end when we're kissing after the confession—it's like a curse or something." She shook her head at the irony. "A-anyway," she started hesitantly, "I was just trying to consider my options here…I think this might be the first time in my life when I haven't had a plan of action, you know? Helga G. Pataki at a crossroads…heh, heh…"

Arnold couldn't help but smile as he took one more small step towards her (recalling her panic at his approaching too quickly before). "Oh…well, do you…have any ideas since it's, um, 'later'?" he asked in a tone that was both playful and understanding. And in truth he was just a little curious about what she was thinking of doing next…both as her friend and…maybe as something else too…

"Actually," Helga began in a somewhat flat tone, rather unexpectedly, a small frown upon her face, "I think I should take a hint from my dreams and…leave…" She stood.

Arnold blinked, his eyes instantly going wide. "_No_!" Forgetting trying to give her some space, he instantly ran toward her and clasped one of Helga's hands in his own. "Please! Don't go!"

Helga's breath caught in her throat at the sudden action, her eyes going very wide and just staring into his own. For a moment Arnold thought she'd comply in an instant…but then she managed to get out in explanation (though it was obviously a struggle for her to maintain her resistance to his plea), "A-Arnold…l-listen, I…I know you…You can be even more of a hopeless romantic than me, and…and that's saying something…" She swallowed. "There's every chance in the world here that you're just caught up in the date and my confession and the kissing…just blinded by it all…Because no one could forget that quickly the seven years of torture I put them through…Even you. So…" She made a very weak attempt at moving her hand away from his, but it was so small that Arnold didn't even notice and so just kept holding it firmly with his own, "So I think I should leave before…" Helga went on, "Before I get my hopes up too much…before we both get too carried away with stuff…before we get hurt…" A touch of sadness came into those wide blue eyes as she finished. "Please, Arnold…I know you don't owe it to me after everything I've done to you over the years but PLEASE…let me go…"

In a second Arnold had released Helga's hand…but it was only to suddenly grab hold of her shoulders, looking at her desperately. "No, I…please, Helga, I don't want you to be unhappy but I…" He glanced around almost in fear, "How can I prove to you that…that the date and the confession and the kissing are nice but…" His face fell into that dreamy look again as he finished. "But the only reason they've all been so great is because…because they've all been with _you_." He swallowed and looked her right in the eye. "How can I show you that I care about you and not just those other things so that you'll stay? Please, Helga—I'll do anything! I just don't want this to be over—this whole past week it's been over, like nothing happened between us, and it was driving me crazy! I…" He was finally at a loss for words and blushing quite a bit as well now as he realized just how dramatic his little speech was starting to get. He removed his hands from her and put them behind himself, taking a small step back again, "Please Helga…" Arnold finished shyly, "Just…let me know what I need to do or say…to make you want to stay…okay?"

Helga just remained standing there in front of the couch, just as she had been the entire time Arnold had been speaking, looking at him fearfully and with confusion and with surprise, her eyes so very wide and her mouth slightly agape. Part of her couldn't help but wonder if this was how Arnold had felt when she had suddenly grabbed him on that roof last weekend and screamed the truth about her feelings in his face….

And then she got an idea.

The only idea Helga could come up with that would test how convinced Arnold really was that he actually cared about _her_ and not just about having another romantic tryst in his life, another girl to give his affectionate little heart to, only this time one who would take it in an instant.

She swallowed, took a breath, gathered her courage…and hoped this wouldn't be as bad as it could be…and it could get pretty ugly, when you got right down to it.

"Okay…" she began.

Arnold's eyes lit up and he sprung forward and hugged her close for a second and then pulled back to look into her eyes once more, his own eyes brimming with hope and happiness. "Really? Oh thank you, Helga, I—"

Helga held up a hand, scowling now, and cut him off. "Not 'okay I'm staying'… 'Okay, I'll let you know what you need to do to convince me that it's me you like and not just what we've been through for the past week'…Understand, Arnold?" She swallowed, obviously a little nervous.

Arnold blinked and looked at her a little unsurely at this explanation. But then removed his hands from her shoulders once again (blushing a little at all this touching he couldn't help but find himself doing to her), and let out a breath. "Oh…" Finally he walked past her and sat next to her upon his end of the couch once more. He brought his eyes to hers with an understanding smile…and then nodded. "Okay…" '_Alright_. _This is all really important to her. It makes sense that she wants to make sure…'_ "Well, what…I mean…what do you need me to—"

Helga cut him off again, looking at him firmly…or at least trying to despite the touch of insecurity in her eyes. "Arnold…" she explained simply, "Last night we didn't really 'talk' like we said we were going to do….We just stalled by eating some ice cream and then I just couldn't think of a way to open up the conversation so I settled on 'I love you, Arnold' and then you made a joke and we kissed until we fell asleep. That was just more romance…no truth. Nothing real. So, you, Arnold…" she swallowed again, but tried to still seem strong, "You are going to listen to me tell you some of the truth…the real truth…about me and you, and then we'll see just how much you still want me to stick around."

Arnold couldn't help the curious and perplexed look now upon his face as Helga finished announcing this strange condition she had as part of not suddenly running away going back to hiding under the bully persona until who knew when. Still, though, now that she had finished, he had to let out a breath and cross his arms over his chest and give her a slight look, wanting to make at least one thing perfectly clear before she admitted whatever it was she seemed to believe she needed to admit right now. "Helga, there's nothing you could say that would make me hate you…there hasn't been for seven years…But if it's what you want then okay, you're right: we really didn't do much talking last night…" he couldn't help but blush, "But we can talk now…" He let out a breath and put his hands at his sides, and then just smiled at her, waiting for her to begin.

Helga's face softened just a tiny bit at his words…but then she quickly shook her head, the scowl resetting itself upon her face. She took a breath, shut her eyes tight…and began in a level voice with the first thing that popped into her head. "I sabotaged your dates with Lila and Ruth at the last two Cheese Festivals."

She opened her eyes fearfully and looked to Arnold.

He was just watching her, his eyes open but not unusually wide, a blank expression on his face.

She waited a few seconds, looking searchingly into his eyes, for a reaction. He still didn't say anything though…almost like he was actually waiting for her to go on…

'_Fine, he wants more, I'll give him more_…' She plowed on. "Those few days last year when you'd lost your hat…I had it most of that time. I found it and I would have kept it if you hadn't gone over the deep end with depression."

She waited again. He was still just looking at her though, still just watching her in that same way…waiting for her to go on…

'_Why isn't he telling me off? Why is it like he wants me to go on humiliating myself!'_ She was getting more worked up! She leaned forward toward him, looking at him desperately, her voice rising in pitch. "I've snuck into this house…into _your room_ before to keep my secret. Like when I lost one of my pink poetry books and you and stupid tall hair boy found it. Or when you found that parrot that had one of my poems memorized…Or when your pig took my…_locket with your picture in it_!"

He had leaned back a little at her leaning in, but otherwise Arnold just continued watching her with wide eyes and a blank look.

"Grrr!" Her scowl was back in full force. "I connived my way into getting the part of Juliet in the school play so that I could kiss you—I had to lie and sabotage four other girls!"

That admission managed to make a slight blush come to Arnold's face but otherwise still no blow-up…and it was driving Helga mad! '_Why is he just looking at me like that! I'm telling him I've lied, I've manipulated, I've broken in and he's just…__sitting there!'_

Starting to lose her judgment a little as she let her temper flair, Helga suddenly ripped the ribbon from her hair and ran her hands through her pigtails, flipping her hair forward and then back so that it was now down, a piece falling over one of her eyes. "I tricked you into going on a date with me last Valentine's Day disguised as your stupid French pen pal, Arnold! Crimeny, tell me I'm insane and kick me out like I deserve!" She grabbed him by the collar, desperately pulling him in…because there was just no way…just no way that there was a chance that he might actually…might actually love her back just a little too…and even despite everything she'd done to him over the years on top of it all! "Say SOMETHING, Football Head!" she yelled at last, tears nearly in her eyes!

"I…" he finally managed in sudden surprise at her exclamation and at her now holding him by the collar like this, "I'm sorry, Helga I…I was just…waiting for the bad thing…You know, whatever part of the truth you think would make me hate you…W-Was what you just said all, though?" He swallowed, his heart racing in confusion and surprise. '_So…she's liked me for a while and got jealous sometimes and tried very hard to keep her secret…and tricked me into another date once just like she did last night…and into a kiss once_.' That part still couldn't help but make him blush of course, though it certainly wasn't making him feel anger or anything. '_Why would she think that any of that would make me hate her…?'_ At the back of his mind, Arnold couldn't help but be reminded of the moment back on the FTi building just after he had discovered Helga's identity as Deep Voice when she had seemed almost ashamed of getting caught helping him…like she'd thought he would be annoyed or angry with her or something for caring about him that much.

At his question, meanwhile, Arnold watched as Helga took another deep breath or so and her eyes went wide almost in confusion, it seemed. Instantly though, she shook her head and the scowl was back and she firmed up her grip on him a bit more. _'He…He doesn't even see anything wrong with all that stuff. I lied to him for years and he's just okay with it!_' She looked him right in the eye, "Oh…Oh I hate you, you stupid Football Head!" And with these hysterical words suddenly Helga lunged forward and crushed her lips into Arnold's for several intense seconds, digging her fingers fervently into his collar as she did so! She pulled back breathing heavily, still scowling. "I hate how always have to be so kind and forgiving and how you never get angry at me! How you always think there's something good in me!" She lunged forward again, giving him yet another small but intense kiss, and breaking it after a few seconds, breathing heavily once more. "Any sane guy would be telling me to get the heck out of his house but you're just sitting there asking when I'm going to get to the 'bad part'…! You always have to see the good in everyone all the time don't you? _Always_!" She planted another quick, deep kiss upon his lips and then pulled back yet again. "And the worst part is…" her scowl was gone, pure desperation in its place, "The worst part is it makes me love you _even more_!" She kissed him passionately again, this time lingering just a bit, feeling her love overwhelm her. She pulled away when she was done and then started giving small kisses to his mouth as she added in a much softer voice, her arms wrapped around his head and neck now, "You stupid…do gooder…wonderful…crazy….you—" She was definitely getting close to returning them to their situation from last night…kiss after kiss after kiss together on Arnold's couch.

"Helga."

She was stopped and her eyes went wide as she suddenly felt Arnold's arms come around her as this time he was the one to lunge forward for a kiss before she could plant her next one on him. His action was gentle but firm and so warm and he moved forward gradually until she was laying back against the arm of the couch…and she felt that intense rush of passion she'd just had calming…a sigh escaped her nose. '_Mmm…' _She had never felt anything calm her like that before in her entire life. Her emotions had been on fire and now…she felt like she was floating in cool water.

At the feeling of this sigh leaving the girl in his grasp, Arnold gently separated their lips and then released Helga, moving back on the couch to give her a little space. He watched as she just lay there, her head resting against the arm of the couch, her eyes closed, her breathing slowing…her blonde hair fanning behind her…Arnold gulped. He'd never noticed before but it looked so soft and beautiful, that hair…especially like that… He almost wanted to reach out and lightly touch just a piece of it, just to feel it for himself…

Arnold took a very deep breath and opened his mouth now to quickly and quietly explain his sudden kiss to her (all the while blushing considerably and just doing his best to ignore that strange compulsion he'd just felt to…to all but run his fingers through Helga's hair!) "Sorry, Helga…you, um…you were getting a little hysterical and…that was the only way I could think of to calm you down a little so we could talk more…" He looked to her very unsurely, hoping he hadn't done anything wrong with his action.

Helga's eyes slowly fluttered open at his words and she swallowed and then slowly managed to sit up a little. "Sorry, um…Arnold…I…" She closed her eyes for a second and let out another deep breath, then opened them once more and went on, "I have a tendency to get a little carried away about all of this…You remember my confession, heh, heh…" She half smiled and glanced down, and her eyes fell upon her ribbon. She picked it up and started redoing her hair. "It's just…I guess I'm just a little…scared…" She blushed a bit at the word, finishing up her second pigtail.

"Scared?" Arnold had to raise an eyebrow. He had never heard Helga G. Pataki admit to being scared in her entire life. Ever.

Helga swallowed and glanced at him hesitantly. "Uh…yeah… I…It's just, I never…Oh…" She scowled slightly again, crossing her arms over her chest. "Well, Crimeny, Football Head, you're sitting there more than okay with the fact that I love you and saying you don't mind that I'm the weirdest person on the planet and on top of it all you keep…you keep kissing me for Pete's sake!" She blushed a lot and looked down again. "The whole thing's so confusing it's practically _terrifying_!"

"But…I like kissing you, Helga…" Arnold couldn't help but assure from beside her with a small smile on his face and his eyes now a little half lidded…gazing at her just a little lovingly. "If last night didn't prove that to you then I don't know what could…"

Helga's eyes instantly flew open wide and whipped to face him as his words processed! Her heart pounded wildly! "_Arnold_! Stop it! Stop doing that to me!" She was breathing heavily and feeling in so much confusion! Arnold…saying he liked kissing her…making some cute little flirtatious joke about it all…How could this be reality?

"Doing what?" Arnold just asked sincerely and almost in amusement. '_I still don't understand why she keeps acting like that…She loves me and I…kind of like her…and I like kissing her…I really do…What's so wrong about that?'_

"Grr!" Helga rolled her eyes and spread out her arms before her in an emphatic gesture. "Stop SAYING things like that randomly, paste for brains!" she explained! "It…" a touch of panic came into her eyes, "It makes me feel…" she swallowed and turned shyly away to face forward again, playing with her hands in her lap, "It's weird….Like I…Like I don't know how I'm supposed to feel when you act like you've been acting, but I'm feeling something anyway and…it…" a small smile came to her face, "It feels really really…really…good…" A small sigh escaped her and she was lost in bits of poetic, enamored thought for several seconds…Suddenly, though, she shook her head to clear it and looked back to Arnold once more. "I…I'm not used to it…" she finally finished shyly and unsurely. And she really was just so very confused about everything that had happened during this past week…Confessing to him so randomly, their kisses, their date last night…and the fact that it had seemed to continue on into this morning, which was just about the unbelievable 'icing' on the unbelievable 'cake'!

Arnold took a second or two to absorb the explanations and doubts of the unsure girl beside him… "Well…" he then began quietly and with a little shrug, still smiling next to her, "I'm not used to having someone 'not hate' me…but…" He looked into her eyes, "I've been _getting_ used to it… So maybe _you_ just need a little more time to get used to _me_…well…not hating you too…"

A second passed…

And then the eyes of both children instantly went wide simultaneously! Helga's jaw dropped in shock and Arnold just stared forward in surprise as the implication of his words sunk in. "_I mean_…" he quickly squeaked out, trying not to panic and trying to find the words to clarify things as quickly as possible, "I mean…I didn't mean me 'not hating you' in the same way that you 'don't hate' me, necessarily, but…I just meant me not …me actually kind of liking you…I mean, I've always liked you but, you know…_a lot_ now…" He swallowed and tugged at his collar. Was it getting hot in here? "I mean, not that 'not hating' you the same way you 'don't hate' me would be a bad thing but…I, uh…" Finally he just let out a breath and collapsed backwards onto the couch, a hand coming to his forehead. "Oh boy…I…I'm sorry Helga, let me try that again, okay? I mean…"

He was stopped by the feeling of one of Helga's hands coming to rest upon his shoulder. She let out a sigh from beside him, and Arnold heard her begin in an understanding voice. "Arnold…It's okay…I get it. You're confused and a little nervous." His eyes turned to take in the unusual sight of her smiling warmly at him. "Relax, Football head…" she chuckled a little, "And anyway if you actually did say 'I love you' to me after only a week and a single date I really don't think I could handle it, to be honest…I mean, I can barely handle you not yelling at me and tossing me out of here, for crying out loud, right?"

Arnold had to smile and even chuckle a little at the joke despite his nerves and Helga joined him in the small laugh as well. And he felt a lot better. "Sorry, Helga…" he began again, though in a much calmer voice now, "But I just…I just wish you'd stop acting like it's impossible for someone to care about you…You're a really…" that dreamy look was coming back to his face, "A really wonderful person, Helga…A really wonderful girl…" He reached forward and gently picked up her hand and before he could stop himself he laid his lips upon the back of it in a kiss.

Not having expected this reaction to her comforting him _at all,_ Helga blinked and blushed at the feeling of Arnold's lips on her skin again, and in such a romantic gesture as kissing the back of her hand once more in their lives. And then she just…smiled…and tried not to swoon in delight…any compulsion to pull away out of fear being completely overwhelmed by love. "A-Arnold…" she gave a small giggle, "I…I told you, nice and slow now…This is all a little much for me…" Despite the small plea for him to stop though, the tone of her voice was light and pleased…her eyes slowly closing.

Arnold gently separated his lips from the back of her hand and released it lightly, looking up with a chuckle at her face. "Sorry, Helga…" he said shyly, but still with a smile, obviously aware that even though she had to get used to it she was rather liking this new status quo between them. _'She's…shy about all of this…_' It was the single most adorable and cute thing he'd ever come across in his entire life: a shy Helga G. Pataki.

At his cute little 'apology' Helga couldn't help giving in to a bunch of giggles this time around. "Arnold…" she cooed in the lightest voice imaginable, her eyes still closed…and then she sighed…or rather swooned…

"Helga?" Arnold had to raise an eyebrow, so very intrigued at the sudden change in the sound of her voice…a change that had made his heart skip a beat. Oh this was all so weird…but he didn't want to be afraid of it anymore. Being afraid of it…wouldn't get anything done about it. Besides, having these feelings around Helga wasn't so very bad or strange once you got used to it…It was starting to feel pretty natural as a matter of fact. And he wanted the chance to explore it all a bit while she was still here and willing. "Helga…" Arnold tried again, still smiling…hating to disturb her from her small, love induced trance but wanting to talk to her more just the same. He reached over and touched her hand again, allowing his palm to rest on it on the couch.

"Huh?" Helga opened her eyes and blinked a couple of times, finally coming back to reality (and out of the million beautiful images that had been going through her mind just now of each and all of the heavenly kisses she had received from her beloved over this last week right up until this very moment…and how she craved a lifetime more of them) at the return of Arnold's touch "Oh, uh…Heh, heh…" She gulped at these intimate thoughts and looked at Arnold sheepishly, doing her best to really stay focused on the here and now, "S-Sorry I zoned out there a little, Football Head… Told you…sometimes I can get a little carried away with all this stuff…" She shrugged.

Arnold just chuckled at her fluster and at the dreamy look that had just been on her face for so many seconds…and all because of him, of all things. "Don't be sorry, Helga…" he assured her, holding her hand a little more closely, "Besides, I…haven't really gotten the chance to hear that…that really nice way you have of speaking…ever since you confessed…You know…when your voice gets light and airy and…loving…" He closed his eyes for a second and took in a breath and released it in a shuddery sigh, letting that way she could speak work it's magic on him, once again without any fear. '_It's light and delicate and so sweet…like she's speaking right from her heart…Like bells…_' "I…like how it sounds…a lot…" His eyes then opened and he blushed quite a bit, glancing down shyly as he realized how ridiculous that all probably was, "That sounds stupid, doesn't it? Sorry, Helga."

Helga, however, just giggled, and she held his hand a little closer too now. "Now who's apologizing unnecessarily, Football Head?" she merely asked coyly.

Arnold laughed as well and brought his eyes over to meet hers…and the two of them just kept gazing at each other and smiling…

And smiling…

And smiling…

And maybe leaning in a little…

"Hey, kids, good morning!"

"AH!" Helga's scream and her subsequent jump up and into her beloved's arms was the result of Phil suddenly entering the den with a smile on his face and carrying a large breakfast tray.

"Oh, sorry, didn't mean to scare you kids… Was I interrupting something?" the old man managed to ask with a sly grin and without bursting into too much laughter.

Arnold was just breathing quite a bit heavily not only at his grandfather's unexpected arrival (and at having just been interrupted from that whole 'leaning in a little' thing), but at the fact that Helga was now sitting on his lap in his arms, all but clinging to him. He looked up to his grandfather and after a second of catching his breath and managed to reply nervously, "Uh…no, Grandpa, we, uh…we were just talking and you surprised us…" He blushed a little and looked away shyly…and tried to ignore the feeling of Helga's arms around his neck…and the feeling of his own arms under her legs and around her waist and back.

"Ah, I see," Phil began, his grin only becoming wryer. He lowered the covered tray to the coffee table before the kids. "Well, I just thought you two might like some breakfast before the boarders get at it…"

Arnold swallowed and brought his eyes back to Phil. "Oh uh…thanks, Grandpa…"

Helga, swallowing as well, finally managed to nod and say weakly (also just barely bringing up her eyes to look at the old man), "Uh…yeah…thanks, Arnold's Grandpa…"

Phil just laughed warmly, straightening up and waving Helga off with a grin. "Oh call me Phil, Helga…Arnold's girlfriend is practically like family around here! Heh, heh…!"

Helga blushed very furiously and then instantly recalled that she was still in Arnold's arms and had basically spent the night in said arms after a date. She quickly released her grip on him and then stood and removed herself to the other end of the couch, sitting down shyly. "I…uh…I…" She wasn't even sure where to begin. She had never faced the situation of someone talking about her love for Arnold so bluntly. And being called Arnold's…girlfriend… _'N-No, I…'_ And yet…But… She wondered what Arnold would say.

The boy beside her, meanwhile, seeing her obvious embarrassment, cleared his throat and came to the rescue. "Grandpa, we're…Um…could we talk about this later?" He gestured with his eyes to the kitchen door, doing his best to silently ask his grandfather if he and Helga could be left alone for a bit…and hoping Grandpa wouldn't have even more fun teasing him about this obvious request.

Phil just suppressed a laugh at the back of his throat and then gave Arnold a big, obvious wink, milking this for all it was worth. "Oh, I _suppose_, Shortman…A little privacy, eh? Knew you had it in you to be a regular ladies man if only you really tried!" (Arnold, meanwhile, was just currently 'trying' not to die from embarrassment!) Phil crossed his arms over his chest, ignoring his grandson's furious blushing. "But anyway, I just wanted to help things along: after all, when the girl did you the honor of being your date and spending the whole night here, the least you could do is give her breakfast…Heh, heh!" Suddenly his eyes lit up. "Oh I almost forgot—the juice! Be right back kids!" And with that he was off like a shot back into the kitchen.

Arnold and Helga just glanced away from each other, blushing quite a bit. "Um…" Arnold started, clearing his throat and looking to her shyly, "Sorry about that, Helga. He, uh… likes teasing, so..."

Helga swallowed and brought her eyes back over to Arnold's as well, and reassured him shyly, "No, it…don't worry about it, Football Head. It's just…no one ever called me your girlfriend before…I actually never even thought about that word in the past—just that I loved you." She swallowed, gathered her courage…and then asked as casually as possible in a light little squeak, "Am I?"

Arnold blinked, dense little thing that he was. "Are you what, Helga?"

She almost had to laugh at his denseness. "Y-your, uh…your…gi-girlfr—"

"Here's the juice, kids!" Phil suddenly entered again, this time with a tall glass of orange juice, and placed it upon the coffee table between the two kids, and then (of course) leaned over and placed two bendy straws in the single glass. "There we go. Enjoy, you two! And just let me or Arnold's Grandma know if you need anything else!" He straightened up and gave another sly smile. "Oh and sorry about the pancakes…Arnold's Grandma tends to mix up Holidays—thinks it's Valentine's day, heh, heh! See you later, kids!" And with that and a wink he returned to the kitchen, leaving them alone again.

Arnold's eyes rested on the single glass with two straws, and then he just let out a deep sigh, rolling his eyes at his grandfather's efforts to further embarrass himself and Helga.

Arnold quickly forgot his embarrassment though as he recalled that before they had been interrupted yet again just now, Helga had had a question…and one that had seemed rather important to her from how much her voice had cracked when asking it. He turned back to the once again blushing girl beside him, her eyes just staring widely at the glass with two straws. "Um…sorry again, Helga… Did, um…Did you have something you wanted to ask me?"

Her eyes flew to him, and Helga almost automatically opened her mouth as though about to speak but then stopped herself and took a nervous breath. "Uh…" she swallowed, "Uh…why don't we eat some breakfast first…I'm starved!" She just…didn't have it in her right now to try bringing up the question again. Not just yet. Not after a night/morning like this one…and at least not on an empty stomach.

Arnold just looked at her curiously. "Oh…okay." And then something clicked and Arnold almost couldn't bear the heat that flooded his face…as he kind of got an idea about what Helga might have been about to ask, now that he really thought about it…But if she was willing to wait on a big question like that, he certainly wasn't about to push it himself. And it really was a big question. Maybe after they ate something or took the rest of the day to think a little bit, it would be easier to tackle. With a small nod to himself at this decision, the football headed young man turned back to the breakfast tray on the coffee table, reached forward and lifted up the lid…

…Only to be met with the sight of a plate containing two heart-shaped pancakes, with a line of syrup over them like a cupid arrow going through them, and a pat of butter right in the center of each.

Arnold let out another slightly frustrated sigh at his grandfather's continuing prank, and addressed Helga again. "Sorry, Helga…I can get us something else if you want…" His eyes turned to her…and he had to drop the tray lid to the floor with a clatter at the sight they fell upon.

Helga was just sitting there, now staring wide eyed at the pancakes, her jaw dropped…and she almost seemed to have tears in her eyes.

"Helga!" Arnold's heart…actually felt like it cracked a little, and he'd never felt such an intense feeling in his entire life! He instantly grabbed her shoulders and did his best to turn her face toward his. "Are you okay? What's wrong? Is it the breakfast?" He looked at her compassionately. "I'm sorry, Helga, I'll fix it I prom—" He was cut off by the feeling of Helga suddenly jerking forward and wrapping her arms around him in the tightest hug imaginable.

Arnold just took several deep breaths, not sure how to respond to this move or what had even brought it on in the first place! It felt like she was clinging to him for dear life, with all the strength and love she had!

"Oh Arnold!" she suddenly announced, "No, it…Don't touch it. It's perfect! I…I couldn't have made anything better myself! It's…" She pulled away again, looking at him with a smile and tears seriously in her eyes at this point. "I'm sorry, Football Head, I told you I can get a little emotional about this stuff…" She took a deep breath to calm herself and then released her grasp on him and shyly put her hands back in her lap. "But, please…don't feel bad about the breakfast, Arnold. At all! It's…it's really sweet of your Grandpa and Grandma…" She smiled warmly at him. "And also, well…I can't think of any better end to a date with you than a romantic breakfast together…" Her eyes went wide again and she blushed, glancing down. "If, um…if you're okay with it, of course…Arnold…"

Arnold just blinked at her explanation…and then smiled at her last point…smiled so very happily. A romantic breakfast together…Had any girl more sweet and caring and cute ever existed in the world? "I…wouldn't mind a nice breakfast together, Helga…" he assured her truthfully.

A truly grateful and happy look came to Helga's face at those words, and her eyes lit up like stars! '_He wouldn't mind a nice breakfast together…Oh be still, my beating heart!' _"Well…okay, then… Let's eat up, Football Head!" A bit of her normal, confident tone was back, and it made Arnold happy to see her feeling a little more comfortable with him. "Besides, I am _starving_ and this smells great!" She rubbed her hands together in anticipation, and then grabbed one of the forks and dug into one of the pancakes before them.

Arnold chuckled, picking up his own fork to join her. "Whatever you say, Helga…" He took a bite as well, swallowing.

A few seconds later, both of them were a little too distracted with their own thoughts and eating to realize as they reached for the single glass of juice between them on the table at the exact same time.

Arnold and Helga gasped at the feeling of their fingertips touching as their hands wrapped around opposite sides of the glass. Their eyes went wide as they pulled back and looked down at the glass and then to each other in surprise.

"Oh…" Arnold began with a swallow, "Sorry, Helga, I…"

"No, no…" she started herself, smiling nervously, "It was bound to happen since there's only one glass, heh, heh…"

Arnold cleared his throat and lifted up the glass and offered it to Helga. "Here…you drink first."

Helga was about to take the glass and thank him…when she couldn't help but feel a sudden, small compulsion to be a little bold…and so suggested, blushing like crazy, "O-Or…I mean, there's two straws so we could, um…drink at the same time…" She finished getting out the words with a cringe, expecting that this would be a little much for Arnold. '_But at least this'll help test the waters a bit…_' She recalled the only other time they had shared a drink together like that: a chocolate milkshake in the cafeteria during those few, brief, glorious days when Arnold had pretended to be her boyfriend to make Lila jealous during his cousin Arnie's visit. '_If Arnold goes along with this now then he's got to at least maybe actually really 'like me' like me or something…_' She tried not to let her heart explode at the unimaginable idea.

Helga watched as Arnold, still holding up the glass, blushed and blinked and swallowed…and then glanced down…and spoke…with a nod! "Oh, um…well…sure. We could…we could do that." '_You can handle drinking with Helga at the same time, you can handle drinking with Helga at the same time…' _It probably seemed silly getting all worked up about something like this after having spent a night making out and sleeping cuddled with the girl in question but it was just…such a 'couples' thing to do, drinking out of the same glass. Being part of a 'couple' with Helga G. Pataki…. '_I can do this…'_

"Really?" Helga squeaked out in disbelief, taking him out of his thoughts. "I mean, o-okay…" she went on, smiling nervously at him.

And then, doing her best to maintain, Helga slowly went forward to one of the straws and, likewise doing his best to maintain, Arnold slowly went forward to one of the straws…she closed her eyes and he closed his as their lips wrapped around their respective straws…and they took a sip simultaneously.

Finishing, Helga pulled away quickly and she looked to Arnold to see his reaction. She watched as, blushing considerably, Arnold slowly pulled back from the glass as well and then swallowed the juice in his mouth. He placed the glass down on the table…and looked at her with wide eyes. "Was…Was that okay, Helga?" His voice was so very quiet and unsure.

Helga had to raise part of her brow at the random question…but then felt herself starting to smile as she realized he was wondering if he had done something as simple as drinking from the same cup as her correctly. If she had liked it. She let out a relieved breath that he hadn't freaked out on her or anything and then reached over and gave him a light punch on the shoulder. "Yeah, you did it right, Head Boy! Meanwhile, sheesh, you'd think you'd have more confidence in yourself…" she blushed a bit, adding, "You picked up on the kissing thing quick enough, after all…Something like this should be much simpler by comparison."

Arnold blushed so very much at her bringing up the kissing almost casually like that! And so bluntly! "Oh, uh…thank you, Helga." He couldn't think of anything else to say (although…something popped into his mind to 'do'… Did he dare?)

And then Helga watched with interest as Arnold swallowed…seemed to consider something…and then glanced away began in a voice obviously trying to sound confident as he…scooched just a smidge closer to her, "Um…and speaking of that… you have a little, um…syrup on the corner of your mouth…" He absolutely couldn't believe himself…

Helga blinked at the random observation and put a hand to the edge of her lips. "Oh! Uh…where, Football Head?"

Arnold closed his eyes and took a very deep breath, and then opened them and looked at her with a touch of something new there now…and it took Helga a second to place it but suddenly she recalled it was similar to that glint his eyes had gotten last night when they had been dancing together and he'd dipped her back after figuring out her prank. "Um…right there…" And then to her total shock Arnold went forward and kissed her lips with more passion than it seemed his modest little self had the ability to contain! She felt her heart pounding in her chest, her eyes were dilating in surprise and confusion, and it didn't help that now along with pressing his lips to hers he'd suddenly wrapped his arms around her in a tight yet tender embrace, pressing his hands into back, holding against her dress, pulling her in until she and her love were warmly against one another! '_What the heck is he…_' was as far as her thoughts got…until she lost herself to this moment and melted against him, allowing him to keep kissing her with no resistance… '_Aw who cares what he's doing…Oh Arnold, I…__Oh Arnold__…_' She moaned slightly, her happiness was so overwhelming.

Several seconds later (though who was counting at a time like this), Helga felt Arnold release her body and he gently pulled away. Helga's eyes (hazed with pleasure) fluttered open and fell to her beloved. "Uh…" she began in a dazed voice, "Wow…I was so tired last night I'd almost forgotten how good you really are getting at this, Football Head…" She giggled, and then her eyes lit up and she looked to him with part of her brow raised…an impossible idea occurring to her…but it seemed to be the only logical explanation for what he'd just done. "Arnold…was that whole syrup thing just now a line you came up with just so you could…steal a kiss?"

Arnold was just sitting there beside her right now in his little suit and tie, completely red in the face at his own actions, and looking about as nervous as she'd ever seen him look in their entire lives. He swallowed, refusing to make eye contact with her and wringing his hands. "I'm…I'm sorry, Helga. That was really stupid, wasn't it?" he explained quickly. "I don't even know where that came from, I…uh…I just…I almost wanted to do something like that last night when I went to leave you on your stoop…and almost kind of when we were dancing at the school…but I was so nervous that I couldn't and I just…Well, we're here and I remembered and you said I was picking up on the kissing thing and I wanted to try…And I never even thought of wanting to try something like that with a girl until I got to know you and…and…"

Helga cut him in all his panic off by moving herself right next to him on the couch and taking one of his hands securely in her own. "Hey, hey, take it easy there, Romeo. Did I sound like I was complaining?" she asked with a smile at how worked up he was getting about the very idea that he had 'done something to displease her' or something like that, and with a kiss no less! "It was kind of…cute, actually…" she assured him with a smile, "You stealing a kiss…Almost as unexpected as that…passionate tango last night…among other things last night…" She blushed at Arnold's increased blush and smiled just a bit more coyly. "Now…" she went on understandingly, "Why don't we finish our breakfast and then I'll go home and change out of this dress already, and then maybe we can…I don't know, grab a sundae at Slausens or something and talk a little more about these sudden new feelings of yours for me or whatever the heck's going on between us, because I'm still having a little trouble grasping just where it is you want to go from here, Arnoldo, okay?" '_Poor little guy…All in a fluster…And all about ME!_' She inwardly squealed and thrilled!

Arnold had been rather caught up in surprise and worry at the kiss he had just given Helga, but at her soothing words and then especially at that last thing she'd just said he instantly came entirely back to the moment at hand and raised an eyebrow at her. "What…What do you mean, 'where I want things to go from here', Helga? I thought…I thought we'd already kind of gone over the fact that…" he blushed a little…and smiled a little…"That I don't just want us to pretend to be enemies anymore…that I want to spend time with you and get to know you and…"

Helga interrupted Arnold with a sigh and a smile, holding her free hand up in a pausing motion and knowing where he was going with this. "Yes, I know, Arnold…the bully/bullied thing has been driving you nuts for a week and you'd like the charade to ease up a bit. I get that…" She swallowed and added as casually as possible, glancing to the side shyly, "What I mean though is…" '_Now or never…Might as well just throw it out there and see what happens_…' "I mean, you don't want me to be your bully…but you already kind of expressed that you aren't completely in love with me…So I mean…am I still just your date or have a graduated to your crush or…or your girlfriend or something…?" She was terrified about the next words that would come out of Arnold's mouth.

Arnold blushed…a lot…and in particular at that last word. '_Girlfriend…_' She had brought it back up again…and of course he couldn't deny that the word had been stuck at the back of his head ever since a few minutes ago when his grandpa had first brought it up. "Well I…" he began, his thoughts racing, and he just said the words that came to his mind, trying to be as truthful as possible and to speak perfectly from his heart, "I don't…I don't know…I mean, I've never really had a…an official girlfriend before…a-and been her boyfriend before on top of it. I'm…not really sure what it would mean, exactly…" He swallowed. "I just…" he let out a breath, "Right now I just know that I like you, Helga…" He looked to her with little goofy smile. "_A lot_." He gave her hand a gentle squeeze, even caressing it a bit…It felt so good. "And I mean, I like YOU and not just the stuff we've been doing together. I've never met anyone else like you, Helga…I just wish it hadn't taken until almost the end of fourth grade to see how you really are…and to find out how you feel about me…" His smile grew. "I just need time to…think a little more. Is that okay?" he asked very sincerely, meaning it with all of his heart.

The words made the most content smile imaginable come to Helga's face, and she quickly scooched over and leaned her head on Arnold's shoulder, snuggling into him a little. She sighed happily. "Well, that's a start for figuring out where to go from here, at least…Thanks Arnold…" '_Better just let him ease on into his feelings…I'll ask more about them later… Besides, a week brought him from barely being able to stand me to this…Who knows what a little __more__ time could lead to?' _She let images of the wedding she had been planning for them since she had been three bubble up in her mind.

Arnold, meanwhile, felt his heartbeat quicken like crazy at the feeling of Helga against him like this, and a happy smile came to his face. He glanced down at her. "You're welcome, Helga…"

A second passed with the two of them in this cozy position together.

Helga giggled.

Arnold smiled. "Something funny, Helga?"

She cuddled just a little closer to him. "Sorry, Arnold…Just…savoring the fact that…that you kind of like me a little…" She giggled again. "Arnold…likes me…" Another little swoon on this morning.

Arnold had to blink in just a little surprise. "Helga, it's not…that surprising…that I like you. You're nice…" He hesitated…but then reached his arm over and placed it around her, pulling her in a little closer around her waist and back. He smiled. "I-I mean, I always knew that you were nice deep down but when you actually act nice like that, something about it's just really nice and…" Finally he just let out a sigh, giving up on trying to express himself on this subject without completely stumbling over his words. "Why don't we just say that you're a lot more 'likeable' than you give yourself credit for…"

Helga laughed a little again in response to his assurances and cuddled her cheek into his shoulder (and savored like crazy the feeling of him actually pulling her in now!)

Another couple seconds of content silence passed.

"You know that time you conked me on the head with that baseball and I had amnesia, Football Head? Well…I only had amnesia for the first day…the rest of the time I was faking it so you'd keep spending time with me and give me attention—walking me to school, feeding me at lunch, taking me everywhere you went… Sorry, Arnold."

"Is that another thing that's supposed to make me hate you? That you wanted to spend time with me?"

"Maybe…" Helga chuckled…and lightly trace a heart on Arnold's chest with one of her fingers.

Arnold sighed, and did his best not to melt at the feeling of her finger delicately and suddenly moving over him like that. "You know, you could have just asked me to spend time with you, Helga….to walk you to school and stuff…I wouldn't have said no…" He hesitated for just a second…and then let himself bring up the hand of the arm he had around her to touch her head…and that soft hair of hers…

"Really?" Helga asked hesitantly in pleasant surprise. And then she instantly felt her breath hitch in her throat at the feeling of Arnold actually TOUCHING HER HAIR! Those warm strong fingers in her hair…He might as well have placed his warm strong fingers right into her beating, love filled heart. Her insides quivered a little in bliss.

"Really, Helga," Arnold replied warmly…actually now twirling a piece of one of her pigtails in his fingers. '_I'm touching a girl's hair…and she's letting me. Wow…_' "I told you last weekend that I consider you a really good friend. One of my best friends actually… And like I said you're a much better person than you always seem to give yourself credit for."

Helga scoffed but smiled nonetheless. "Yeah, okay, _maybe _I am, but even if I _had_ asked you to spend time with me and you _had_ said yes since I'm one of your best friends, you would still have had a million questions about why the person who hates you wanted to be with you all the time… Might have blown my secret just a little, you know…" She smirked, glancing up at him a little.

Arnold just sighed and rolled his eyes, glancing down at her. "Yeah…and who knows what the consequences of actually telling me the truth might have been." He tried his best not to laugh.

To his surprise and delight, the comment actually made Helga start laughing herself, warmly and happily in that nice way he'd come to like quite a bit.

Finally she sat up slowly (still keeping cozily in his grasp though, of course) and looked to him with a smile and a sigh. "Okay, okay…enough tender and humorous moments… I really am hungry you know, Football Head, and these pancakes are gonna get cold if we keep just sitting here confessing to and flirting with each other." She removed herself from him now, scooching back over to her own couch cushion, and grabbed the juice glass and took another sip and put it down, and was about to go for her fork when a very interesting sight suddenly met Helga G. Pataki's eyes…

A very shy looking and blushing Arnold was barely managing to maintain eye contact as he held out his own fork before her…with a small bit of pancake now on the end.

Helga just raised part of her brow. "Arnold…uh, what's up?"

Arnold swallowed….and tried not to lose courage. "W-well, um…you said before that you liked it so much when I fed you when you had amnesia that you pretended to keep being sick just so that I'd do it again…" he went on quickly, "So I just thought that, um…that maybe you'd like it if I…did it again…right now." He waited without breathing for her response.

A distinct blush crept into Helga's surprised face. "You—you're trying to feed me a bite of pancake…" _'I think I'm actually going to die right now. Oh…OH! He's so….Oh and look how shy and embarrassed he is…Oh Arnold, you are the most precious, adorable, wonderful little football head ever! You_…' She gave a girlish internal sigh.

She was interrupted from her swoon-worthy thoughts by the sound of Arnold sighing and the bite of pancake lowering a little. "I'm sorry, Helga…" he began in that apologetic tone again, looking down in shame and embarrassment, "Asking that was…it was too much, wasn't it? It was just that you mentioned it and we're eating together and we already drank out of the glass together and I guess I'm still fully waking up and…" And then Arnold's eyes flew open at the feeling of a distinct pressure on the end of the fork he was still holding…and he turned to see Helga, her eyes closed in pure bliss, biting the end of the fork gently and then slowly pulling her lips down and off of its end, savoring the piece of food in her mouth for a moment before lightly swallowing.

Her eyes fluttered open after a few seconds and she looked to Arnold. "That was…That was the most perfect thing you could have suggested in the whole world. Thank you, my beloved…" She sighed. Arnold had just fed her. No tricks, no gags, no waking up because it had only been part of a perfect dream. What wonderful thing had she done in her life to deserve any of this?

Warm blood instantly flooded Arnold's face and his heart sparked and thundered uncontrollably! His fork dropped to the plate with a clatter. His hand shook a little.

Helga blinked at the sound, coming out of her daydream state, and then raised part of her brow in concern as she now took in the sight of how utterly…in shock Arnold suddenly looked. "Arnold, are you okay?" she asked sincerely, scrutinizing him a little.

She watched him take a few deep breaths like he was trying to get himself calm…and then he swallowed and replied quietly, "Um…yeah, I'm…I'm fine. It's just…" He couldn't bring his eyes to meet hers. "You called me…your…your beloved…And you've never…really…well you've always called me a lot of other names besides my real name to tease me but never…never one because you…love me…" '_Her…beloved.'_ What a…It was…And who nowadays even called someone something so old-fashioned and so quaint and so…poetic? '_Beloved…'_ And yet despite how she had always talked to him, it had flowed just as naturally off of her lips as any 'Football Head' or 'geekbait' or 'paste for brains' had ever done.

Helga blinked and blushed and glanced forward at his comment. She hadn't even realized she had said that! Calling him her beloved to his face! _'Crimeny, what's with me? Seven years of training myself to keep my love and affections thoroughly veiled and then I open my big mouth last weekend and suddenly I'm a romantic train wreck!' _"Oh… Yeah, uh…sorry if that made you uncomfortable, Football Head…" She shrugged and did her best to smile at him. "It's just getting really easy to open up to you and be myself now that you know how I feel, I guess, heh, heh…"

She waited for his reaction with a gulp…and then watched as Arnold took another deep breath, his eyes closed. And then opened his eyes and sighed…and a small smile came to his face. "No, Helga, I'm…not uncomfortable. I just needed a second to get used to that…" He turned to her and added with a slight chuckle underlying his tone. "Okay so along with Football Head and Arnold I'm also your beloved. I can…I can live with that." He scooched just a bit more over to her once again.

Helga beamed…and of course did not scooch away. "You'll _have_ to if you're determined to keep me around…" she replied coyly and with a blush. _'It's okay with him that he's my beloved…To heck with 'miracle'…This is fate, destiny…The cosmic meeting of a heretofore star-crossed love! Ah_…'

Another moment of warm content quiet passed between them.

And then Helga closed her eyes and let out a sigh, and then opened them once more and looked to Arnold with a half grin. Because even though she really was in love with him…she also really was starving right now and she kind of wanted to get this show on the road. "Well…let's get the last awkward part of this breakfast over then, shall we…?" Arnold looked confused for a moment…until Helga picked up a fork and snagged a piece of pancake with it and then held them out before him, trying to seem confident but obviously feeling quite shy. "So, um…" she began, "You…fed me a bite…Could I, um…Could I feed you a bite too, Arnold…?"

Arnold blushed and felt his heart racing, his eyes fixed on the morsel of food. He swallowed and finally did his best to get out, "Of…Of course, Helga. I'd…I'd like to try that…" '_A girl wants to feed me_…_Helga wants to feed me…Don't panic…_' And then he went forward, his eyes closed, and removed the piece of food from the fork with his mouth and did his best to savor it just as she had before swallowing…And in truth he could now understand Helga's slight pause before when he'd done this to her: there was something incredibly…incredibly intimate and personal and wonderful about eating something from someone you loved…

Arnold's eyes instantly flew open and he swallowed the bite completely, doing his best not to choke. _'Love…I just thought I loved her…Okay, okay …REALLY don't panic. You were just caught up in the heat of the moment…You like her a lot… 'like' her like her definitely…_' he blushed at finally just outright admitting that fact to himself…yes, he did indeed have romantic feelings about Helga G. Pataki and he could not deny it any longer. '_But…love…? I… I mean we're only kids and I…It looks like it's so extreme when she shows that side of herself. I'm not even sure I could handle it even if I was…in…in love with her.'_ And yet his heart still pounded. '_But…but I also…well…I…_' It was very hard to not associate love with a girl who was so…lovely.

"You okay, Arnold?" the sound of Helga's voice touched with concern brought him out of his racing thoughts. She held up the juice glass to him. "Do you need a drink or something?"

Arnold swallowed once more and glanced away nervously. "Uh, no…I'm fine, Helga. I just…" he let out a breath, "Sorry…this whole thing's been a lot for me to…take in…" _'Yeah, I might be falling in love with the most unlikely girl on the planet…who secretly might be the most perfect person in the world for me. That's…That's __a lot__…'_

Helga blinked at his words but then smiled and put the glass back down. "Yeah," she chuckled to herself, unable to help agreeing with his assessment that all of this really was a little much and happening pretty quickly on top of it all, "Speaking of that, honestly, if it's okay, can we just feed _ourselves_ for the rest of this breakfast…? Not that feeding each other a whole pancake each wouldn't be heavenly in my book, but after everything we've been though during the past seven days both in public and in private I don't think my nerves could take that romantically stressful of a breakfast, you know?" She let out a breath and lay back against the couch, blushing a little. "I mean, Crimeny, you held that fork out to me before and I thought my heart was going to fly out of my chest, Arnoldo, heh…" '_Wow, it…feels really nice to just…admit that to him…No more secrets.'_ She smiled a little more.

Arnold, despite his nerves, couldn't help but chuckle a little as well at her observation and reply almost automatically as he looked to her again, the memory quickly resurfacing in his mind of how Helga holding out a fork to him had made him feel, "Yeah, I know what you mean…"

The comment made Helga blink once or twice and turn to Arnold in interest. He just looked back to her with an eyebrow raised. "What?" he asked curiously.

A half smile broke out onto her face at the question and it was followed quickly by a shake of her head. "Nothing, Football Head…It's just…_I'm_ not the only one anymore when we're alone together practically having a heart attack. It's…interesting…" She shrugged a little.

Arnold just gave her a playful smirk in return, especially at that last word. "Interesting, huh? Now, Helga, how am I supposed to know what you mean if you throw around a word like that?"

Helga chuckled at his little joke and leaned in a little closer to him. "Well, I guess you don't, paste for brains…But I think it could be good…for both of us…" She winked, completing the ironic reversed exchange from the morning of her birthday when he'd come up to her room to retrieve her for her surprise party.

Arnold just sighed, unable to help smiling at the girl before him all the more. "Whatever you say, Helga…"

Helga finally just rolled her eyes and grinned and let out a big sigh herself. "Okay, okay, enough ironic references! Come on!" And that now familiar confident tone was back in her voice in full swing. "We've got almost a full pancake each here to chow down on and they're NOT getting any warmer…You ready for Arnold and Helga's eat off part two, Football Head? After all, we really didn't have a winner with the ice cream eating contest at my birthday party since _someone_ went to get napkins and disappeared for an hour!" She smirked at him.

Arnold grinned right back at her and grabbed a fork. "You're on, Helga! _Ready_…"

She kept her amused blue eyes locked right onto his green ones as she picked up her own fork. "_Set_…"

"GO!" both kids yelled at the same time and instantly began eating like crazy, occasionally trying to playfully sabotage each other by pushing the other's pancake away or having a small fork fight, and laughing the whole entire time they shared their breakfast together on this wonderful Saturday morning.

* * *

Out in the kitchen, Phil (who had been kind of sort of spying on Arnold and Helga in bits and pieces this entire time ever since he had left them alone with their pancakes and juice) had been doing his best not to laugh at the two kids in the living room so that they wouldn't hear him in the kitchen. He finally had to let out a chuckle quietly, though, at the sight of Arnold and Helga actually getting into an eating contest of all things now, and laughing and teasing and flirting their way through it. ""Heh, heh! Oh that boy'll be just fine with her…" he whispered to himself with a smile, "…just had to get used to things!"

Gertie, who was currently doing some of the dishes from the bit of cooking she had done for the kids, just sighed and turned to her husband at the sound of him still obviously checking in on young Arnold's date. "Now remember, General, you already had your two jokes this morning—first with bringing them the food and then the drink. Now leave them alone to finish up their date together before you start teasing Kimba…And for land sakes, give them some privacy!"

Phil let out a sigh (though he did finally let the door leading to the living room shut, nonetheless). "Oh I know I know, Pookie. Just observing my handiwork and how the boy's handling things." He smiled proudly. "Looks like he's doing just fine though. A little nervous at first but getting much more comfy! Heh, heh…." He smirked a little at his wife. "Besides, I don't think I should be taking all the blame for those gags before when _you're_ the one who went along with my little prank and made those heart-shaped pancakes for the kids in the first place."

Gertie cleared her throat and turned off the sink, grinning a little. "Oh I just wanted to be festive…" She shrugged innocently. "Happy Valentine's Day!" she then suddenly announced, turning around and gesturing up at a banner she'd actually hung across the kitchen a few minutes ago while her husband been focusing on spying on Arnold and Helga.

Phil just rolled his eyes at the sight of the big pink and red banner. "Cheese and Crackers, Pookie, you're at it again?" He shook his head in amusement but then smiled and rubbed his hands together in anticipation. "Oh well, at least this means chocolates for dessert tonight! Mmm!"

"Yup!" Gertie announced with a grin, suddenly grabbing a tray off of a cooling rack on top of the oven and displaying them to her husband. "Raspberry filled!"

"Oooo!" Phil yelled, his stomach suddenly rumbling, "Why do you do that to me, Pookie? Between the raspberry jam this morning and now those…" His stomach made a sick lurching sound again. "I'm gonna head to my private office! Don't let those kids leave until I get back and with a new roll of film for my camera!" And with that he ran out of the kitchen, Gertie just laughing behind him.

Now left alone in the boarding house kitchen, Gertie went over and finished up with the sink and breakfast dishes, and then placed her tray of homemade chocolates in the fridge…And then with a smile she walked over to the door to the den and couldn't resist peeking for just a moment herself at sight her grandson and his lady friend still sharing breakfast together and having a blast doing so.

"Hey when this eating contest is over and I take my victory, you wanna race and see who can finish the juice first too, Football Head?" Gertie watched Helga smirk at Arnold.

Arnold laughed in reply and gave her a bit of a look, swallowing the mouthful of pancake he was in the middle of working on. "Helga, first of all _I'm_ winning the 'eating contest'…" and indeed, quite a bit more of Arnold's pancake was gone than Helga's, which explained Arnold's proud tone, "...and second of all if we're drinking out of the glass at the same time then how could we know who finishes it first?"

The young blonde girl just rolled her eyes up innocently. "Well, I don't know about you, paste for brains, but _I'm_ more concerned with the idea of sharing a drink with you again than being able to suck down more orange juice than that scrawny football head stomach of yours…"

Arnold blinked and blushed and then glanced to the side. "Oh… Uh, sure then Helga…" A small little smile came to his lips. "I'd like that…"

Helga giggled. And then Arnold's eyes went wide at the feeling of her lips suddenly descending to his mouth for a kiss.

With a small chuckle Gertie pulled her head back inside the kitchen to give the kids some privacy again…though she couldn't resist at least listening in to whatever might be happening next.

Many, MANY seconds later a sigh sounded…and lips lightly separated.

"Helga…" Arnold sounded about as happy and dazed as possible as he said his date's name.

There was another small sound of lips kissing before she said anything. "Mmm hmm, Arnold?" Helga then cooed in reply

"Y-You remember last weekend when you caught me having that dream about you at Slausens?" He was obviously totally gone.

"Yes, my beloved, I remember…" She was obviously utterly blissful.

Arnold chuckled. "Well…in that dream, when you kissed me…you did a few of the things you did just now and also that you did last night, and…" He let out a sigh. "Helga…I don't know if I love you but I really really love being with you…You're kind of amazing. Did you know that?""

"Ah, so you like when I get a little lost in holding you and caressing you, Football Head? Good to know…" Her tone was playful once again. "And yes of course I know I'm amazing—Doi! I'm Helga G. Pataki!"

A few seconds more of 'silence' passed after which Arnold sighed through his nose again and Helga giggled once more.

"A-And also, um…" Arnold barely chuckled out at this point, "Helga, if you're trying to distract me from winning the pancake eating contest…Well, what you're doing is probably the best way to do it…"

Helga laughed warmly and then there was the sound of her shifting away on the couch a little. A smiling Gertie took that as a cue that it was okay to peek at the kids again. She opened the door just a crack and her eyes fell to Helga sitting on her end of the couch with a smug look on her face and her arms crossed over her chest. "Oh _actually_ I was just trying to 'get a bit of syrup off of the corner of your mouth' or whatever lame excuse that was you gave me before so you could steal one of my kisses, but…I'll keep my incredible ability to 'distract' you in mind for any of our future contests, Football He—_my beloved_." She picked up her fork and went right back to eating bite after bite of her pancake. '_I'm eating breakfast and flirting with Arnold….Oh this is officially the best way to start the day!'_

Arnold smiled very very goofily at Helga's joke and managed to put another forkful of pancake into his mouth, though he was a bit too distracted with other thoughts and feelings at the moment to really continue trying to keep up with Helga in this little contest of theirs. '_I'm Helga's beloved Arnold…and she's not running away or pretending there's nothing between us anymore…It's all perfect.'_

Arnold and Helga's romantic breakfast continued.

And Gertie just did her best not to laugh out loud at the two kids and their exchanges. She just shook her head with a smile. '_Well it's about time that sweet little girl told Kimba she likes him…and about time Kimba brought her home for a date.'_

"So, doing a little spying yourself I see, eh, Pookie…"

Gertie instantly blinked and allowed the door to shut as she turned around to see her husband grinning smugly behind her, having obviously returned to the kitchen for the newspaper he had just picked up from the kitchen table that was now in his hand.

Gertie glanced up innocently, putting her arms behind her back. "Oh I just wanted to make sure they didn't need anymore pancakes."

"_Right_…" Phil said in a way that said he did _not_ buy it at all. The two of them just looked at each other with smiles…and then burst into laughter.

Phil let out a sigh, still smiling, and put down his newspaper and came forward, putting a hand on his wife's shoulder. He looked into her eyes. "It takes me back too, Pookie…" he assured her with a nod.

She smiled, looking into his eyes…and remembering…as well. "Yes…I was such a sweet girl back then. Just like that nice little lady in there…"

He chuckled. He swung a fist through the air. "And you still got it, Pookie…all the sweetness and all the spunk."

Phil then leaned in and gave Gertie a small kiss on the cheek and the two of them lingered happily in the kitchen for a moment while their grandson continued to finish up his first official date…and with a young lady he might end up marrying one of these days… Hey, it could happen. It had happened once before, after all.

* * *

**A/N:**

Alright, prepare for Arnold and Helga to meet up later on this day and finish talking (and maybe doing some other things ;) ), confrontations with certain other people, and more dates between them ^_^ I half know where this fic is going and I'm half just writing things on the spot so I'm excited to see how this'll all turn out ;) Please review and let me know what you guys think! Thanks!

Happy Reading!

AXH FOREVER!

~Azure129 aka Jenna


	3. How Do You Feel About Me, Arnold?

**A/N:**

Hey all! 8D Okay, so, I had the draft of this done up and I just figured I'd edit it and get it up because I've been really wanting to continue this story for a bit anyway, lol. Please enjoy and please review if you do ^w^

**APRIL 2ND**

**Chapter 3:**

**How Do You Feel About Me, Arnold?**

* * *

"Oh, uh…and that poetry reciting parrot you found? Yeah, mine too…" Helga took a final sip of her milkshake before her, and then released the straw from her lips and let out a sigh. "Ugh, worst two days of my life crossing my fingers hoping that thing wouldn't blab the last line of my poem about you!" She crossed her arms over her chest and rolled her eyes at the whole thing.

Arnold, sitting across from her at their booth together right now in Slausens, raised an eyebrow and took a last bite of his banana split. "What was so important about the last line?" he had to ask curiously as he put down his spoon for a moment.

A small half smile came to Helga's face…and then she considered for a moment…and then finally she let out a breath. "Mmm…" She hesitated and then lowered her voice (even though the ice cream parlour was empty except for the two of them) as she finally admitted in a little mumble, "Arnold you make my girlhood tremble, My senses all go wacky, Someday I'll tell the world my love…Or my name's not Hel—"

"—ga G. Pataki…" Arnold suddenly finished, a look of realization washing over him. A smile came to his face and he just let out a little sigh and looked to Helga. "Yeah, I…I think if I'd heard that line it might have tipped me off about things just a little."

Helga just rolled her eyes again and tried not to blush, pushing the now empty milkshake glass away from herself on the table. "Ha-ha, Football Head," she just replied dryly, though she was half grinning as she said it. Ever since her confession, he'd gotten this little particular sense of humor when talking to her and…she couldn't help but find it amusing…even kind of charming actually (and the idea of it as charming, and all for her, only made her blush a bit more).

Arnold glanced down and picked up his spoon and took a last bit of his banana split, and then swallowed it, blushed a little…and then asked (rather unexpectedly), "So, I, um…make you tremble and your senses go wacky?"

Helga, her eyes having been gazing lazily out the wide window alongside them, instantly turned a fiery scarlet at that question. "U-Um…" she straightened up a little and then shrugged and cleared her throat. "F-From, um…time to time…" was all she could think to say back nervously.

"O-Oh…" Arnold merely replied, his smile kind of growing a little as he looked very specifically down at his empty sundae dish... "Okay…um…interesting to know…" He seemed like he wanted to chuckle about the whole thing, which he really did—the idea that there was something about him that could affect the girl seated across from him so strongly…making her little heart flutter and tremble…The very idea made his own little heart flutter and tremble a little…Their little hearts trembling at once together…just like last night. '_Wow_…' He almost wanted to…wanted to move to sit beside her…and then to reach out…and touch her…just to…to see it in action…this trembling effect he could have on a girl…

Helga, meanwhile, seeing this awfully goofy look on Arnold's face now as he stared at his sundae dish and just wanting to move past this awkward moment about 'trembling' and 'wacky senses' and whatnot, cleared her throat a little more and then glanced down at the tabletop shyly and did her best to get things back on topic. "W-Well, anyway, that's about the long and short of it, I guess. Um...if I remember any more crazy schemes or ridiculous stunts or secret keeping escapades I'll let you know but otherwise, yup, all that's stuff's the whole enchilada…" Helga was referring to, of course, the fact that she and Arnold really were taking this afternoon together (following their romantic breakfast after waking up in each other's arms) to talk…Which meant that she had just spent the last near hour sucking it up and basically admitting everything to him about her romantic-based hi-jinks from the past. _Everything_. And honestly, it…really had felt nice to just be honest with him like this. No more lies between them. But…now that was done…and now… "So…" She swallowed, now having to ask a question she dreaded just a little, even though all signs seemed to indicate that his final response actually might end up being an okay one, "…Even after knowing everything about all of my lies and deception—and I mean EVERYTHING…Do you still, um…kind of like me Arnold…?" She brought her eyes to his and didn't take a breath as she awaited his response.

She watched as Arnold blinked at the (apparently unexpected) question from her…remained frozen for just a moment (as though she had suddenly jarred him out of some thoughts)…blushed a tiny bit and cleared his throat…but then smiled warmly again. Then he brought his eyes back up to meet hers, resting his wide head one of his hands. "Helga," he began kindly, "I don't know why you think you caring about me and doing things in secret to express it over the years is going to make me hate you…I mean, if anything it makes me…like you even more…and I already like you a-a lot…." He glanced away shyly, still with a little smile, and Helga observed the light blush on his cheeks only deepening and warming.

Helga felt herself melt inside and a warm wave of relief come over her. And then she couldn't help crossing her legs and letting out a giggle, looking over him in a bit of a daze. "Really, Arnold?" she had to ask in wonder.

Arnold just swallowed and nodded (feeling himself gulp at the sound of that airy, loving tone coming from her yet again in their lives…and how it made him feel inside). "Yes…really, Helga." Then he let out a breath and glanced back up at the girl before him. "But…I…well, I guess there is one thing about it all that…makes me a little sad…" A little frown came to his face and he looked at her rather seriously for the moment, his eyes all wide and really seeming quite sad.

Helga gulped and her own eyes went wide and any smile left her face instantly. "What is it?" Not that she hadn't expected him to be upset by quite a few of the things she had done over the years behind his back to protect her secret but to actually hear him say that he was indeed upset sent such a little stab of hurt through her. She waited to hear what in particular had stuck with him so much, and was prepared to atone for it in any way she could.

Arnold glanced away for just a moment and then looked back at her and asked sincerely, "Helga…really…why didn't you ever just tell me? How you felt…? About everything you told me just now? I…Did you think that I…really would have reacted by just rejecting you and hurting you and not taking you seriously? Don't you trust me more than that, Helga?" His face was a mixture of curiosity and incomprehension and almost…just a little bit of that sadness he had mentioned.

Helga blinked at all of that from him and couldn't help a pitying look instantly coming into her eyes. "I…Of course I trust you, Arnold," she said back so very sincerely, not even having to think about it, "I trust you more than anybody in the whole world. I never thought you would do anything 'bad' to me. I…" She swallowed and shrugged and glanced away, almost with a touch of shame. "I don't know…I guess…even though I knew you were too good of a person to ever really hurt me about this, I guess I was still just…scared. I-I mean…scared that even if you didn't go and mock and berate me or something that you'd start hating me or get freaked out and never want to see me again…scared that I'd lose the small bit of a mutual relationship we had." She glanced back up at him, hesitated for just a second, and then added in the most quiet yet serious tone possible, "You're really important to me, Arnold. REALLY important to me, and…I…I always figured that it'd be a long shot that you'd love me back but at least by not telling you how I felt there was no chance that I'd find out that you…that, well, like I said, that you maybe hated me for all the stuff I've put you through over the years…" She waited patiently for whatever response he'd give to this admission.

To her surprise, the first thing she saw was his eyes go wide and then his face soften, and then the first thing she heard was a small chuckle from him.

She blinked and her eyes went a little wide with uncertainty. She was curious to say the least. "What?"

Arnold just smiled at her a little, much to her interest, and shook his head. "Nothing, Helga, it's just…" He raised an eyebrow at her. "You didn't want me to say I hated you…so you spent years…trying to make me hate you?"

Helga blinked and blushed, quite unsure of how to respond to this paradoxical way of putting her strategy of treating him for their entire lives together up until now. "Uh…" She tried to put a little indignation into her voice, but it mostly sounded sheepish as she ended up replying, "It was a…plan in progress?" She shrugged a little.

Arnold just smiled the tiniest bit more (in point of fact he was doing his best to hold off on a full blown warm laughter, lest he upset her or hurt her feelings or anything, even though her going to all this trouble over the six years and all about _him_ just couldn't help but strike him as kind of amusing…and also incredibly sweet). "Well, I guess your plan didn't work out very well, did it?" he said back just a little playfully.

Helga raised part of her brow, still looking just a little bit unsurely into his eyes.

Arnold just let out a sigh and let his grin pick up on one side as he gazed at her a little and explained. "It didn't work out very well because I don't hate you…Even despite all the stuff I _already_ knew about that you did over the years to me…and the stuff that I _didn't_ know about that you just told me about. I don't hate you and I still want to see you and believe me I'm done with feeling even close to surprised enough to 'freak out' about all of this." He reached forward and placed his hand upon one of hers resting on the tabletop, giving it a warm squeeze. "A nice, interesting, caring girl told me she loves me and gave me a kiss, and spent an hour doing me the honor of getting ice cream with me and telling me all about who she really is. I'm afraid it's going to take a lot more than that to 'scare me off', Helga G. Pataki. If anything it's…only making me want to stick around a little more just to see what's next." He winked at her and then with a little blush shyly took his hand away and picked up his spoon to play with some of the melted ice cream at the bottom of his sundae dish…as he added quietly, "And thank you, Helga. I'm happy you trust me. I trust you too."

The young football headed boy, still a little too nervous and bashful to look anymore but at his dish still, at first was just met with silence from his companion. Arnold decided as a result that Helga maybe needed a moment to absorb all of that from him, and so was more than content to wait and play with his spoon and dish while she worked her way up to a reply to him.

A few seconds later, he indeed heard her voice finally break in again. "Arnold…you…" She hesitated.

Arnold glanced up at her, finding the courage to do so, and just smiled at her pleasantly. "Yes, Helga?" he prompted.

She was just looking at him unsurely, blushing fully, her eyes wide (her looking like that only made him smile all the more unconsciously) and then she just let out a deep sigh and propped up her head in one of her hands on the table and asked, "Arnold, thank you for all of that, but…you…are taking all of this very, very well…Like kind of FRIGHTENINGLY well… You do know that, right?"

Arnold's eyes went a little wide in surprise at this observation, but then as he had a moment to absorb it, his normal gaze returned and he just smiled again and shrugged. "Oh…well, you know…" he copied her gesture of propping up his head on one of his hands on the table, "The idea that you don't 'not like me' nearly as much as you always said HAS crossed my mind before."

He watched Helga's jaw completely drop at this statement, her eyes practically dilating.

Alright, he couldn't control at least a warm chuckle or two escaping him at that sight. "Helga?" he had to ask in curiosity and amusement.

A second or two more passed and then a small squeak came out of the back of the throat of the girl before him and she spoke rather quickly. "I'm sorry—what?"

Arnold laughed a little again at this small exclamation and then just shrugged, finally pushing his empty ice cream dish forward on the table just as she had done with her empty milkshake glass. "Well," he began to explain, quite casually as a matter of fact, "Like I said, Helga, I've always known that at least you're a much nicer person than you act like. I've seen that side of you a lot of times before, after all: when you had amnesia that one time (well, for that one day before you just started faking it, at least) and you were sweet and nice to me, and then that time at the beach when you helped me out with that Summer girl, and also how you helped me after Lila dumped me… All those are times you've really come through for me, Helga, and I've never forgotten them." He smiled a little more at the good memories and then went on with (in a much quieter and shyer tone), "And as for you liking me, you know…romantically…" he blushed a little at the word but ignored it, moving along, "Well, actually my Grandpa brought that one up to me once. I told him he was crazy but…I don't know…Maybe the possibility's been floating around at the back of my mind ever since then…just…a little…"

He let out a tiny little sigh at this confession, and then just brought his eyes back to focusing on Helga's once more, still just pleasantly smiling at her.

He observed now that, it seemed, while he had been delivering this little explanation of his words, Helga had taken the opportunity to just continue turning more and more like the color of the cherry that had topped his banana split not an hour ago. He tried not to let her blush make his own blush strengthen as he waited patiently for her to come out of her apparent little moment of shock.

And eventually Helga did close her eyes, take a very deep breath in and out, and then open her eyes again and manage to actually articulate a response to this…kind of mind warping bit of information from him about his past suspicions. "O-Okay, okay…your grandpa spilled the beans for me…and it stuck with you… And there's no need to let that panic me…I mean, you already know everything now so it's not like I've still got anything left to lose, right?" She turned her slightly nervous sights back to an amused Arnold and now had her arms at her sides, her hands gripping against the soft cushiony plastic of the booth upon which she was sitting. "So…between when your Grandpa suggested that to you and now…how, um…how much did you, um…suspect…exactly, heh, heh?" She just had to ask the question—she wasn't sure why but…along with making her nervous as heck (after all, if Arnold, the densest person on the planet had suspected, then…who was to say others hadn't as well? Like their _friends_? And also, she…was just plain curious. It seemed like whatever his reply was it would make for an interesting context that his mind must have been in before and then upon her confession).

Arnold, in response to that interesting inquiry, just let his smile pick up a little more on one side and replied, still in that casual little tone, "Well, the idea was there…Not really that you 'loved me' but maybe that you at least felt something for me whether or not you realized it, or at least _wanted_ to feel something for me. But…it just seemed…" he considered, putting a hand to his chin, "I'm not sure… It was like I couldn't wrap my mind around it or something. Like I would have needed something to pull me into it…" He almost chuckled and added ironically, his eyes still upon hers, "You know, like a confession or a date or a…kiss…" He swallowed and glanced down, feeling scarlet beginning to tinge his cheeks again.

Helga had just remained wide eyed during this explanation, taking it all in (and…maybe kind of recalling all those times over the years but especially over the past few months when he had given her a deep look or a small smile that had suggested that maybe…maybe he did know…though she had always shut out the possibility immediately every single time one of those moments happened)…until he blushed at the end of saying what he had to say…and then SHE blushed again…and she was getting a little sick of blushing at this point, considering that she had been doing it about every five minutes for almost a full twenty-four hours now.

And so the young blond girl took a breath and called forth her usual casual tone and spoke to her beloved in a manner taking a bit more charge of the conversation at hand. "Okay, Football Head. That all makes sense, and I'm happy you shared. And on that note I think we're done talking over everything about _my_ part in all of this stuff between us. So, now it's _your_ turn to talk."

That statement made Arnold's kind of half lidded eyes snap wide open and his head instantly snap up from his hand. He looked to Helga very curiously. "Huh?"

Helga smirked just a little, liking that feeling of catching him off guard a little (especially in light of that tiny bit pride and smugness that had been coming to him lately now that he knew the truth). "Well," she shrugged and continued simply, "_I _just finished blathering on for almost an hour about some of the most embarrassing stuff in my life, laying all my cards out on the table, talking about my feelings, all that mushy stuff, yada yada yada…So, like I said, now it's _your_ turn. _You_ get to be honest!" She pointed right at him from across the table. "Come on, Football Head, honesty _is_ like second nature to you after all." She winked. '_Oh boy, this should be fun…'_

Arnold still just gave her a genuinely confused look though, obviously not getting it. "But Helga, I don't have any thing I've done to you over the years in secret to admit. I—"

"Huh?" Helga feigned innocence, cutting him off. And then she smirked again and shook her head. "Oh no, Arnoldo—I'm not talking about that. I know I'm the only one of us with a habit of pulling off secret crazy schemes. What I want is for you to be honest with me now about your _feelings_, not your nonexistent past misdeeds." She leaned just a bit closer to him, catching him fully off guard and fully savoring it. "How do you feel about me, Arnold?" she asked point blank.

Arnold's eyes went very VERY wide.

Helga's smirk only picked up on one side a little more. "I'm waiting, Football Head…" She supposed she should have been worried and scared about asking and actually getting a point blank answer to this question but she just…wasn't. After all, she wasn't 'flying blind' here anymore with him—there had been a lot of signs…A LOT of signs…and now she mostly just wanted to make him admit it so that they really could maybe move on to something besides coy smiles and little giggles and spontaneous kisses….Something more serious, maybe.

Arnold, meanwhile, just gulped practically audibly. "W-Well, I…" he breathed out at first with an obvious little crack to his voice…his heart starting to pound a little…both from nervousness about answering this sudden direct question…and from, well…the fact that she was so much closer now…and not seeming about to move away any time soon… "I…I already told you that I don't hate you…" He couldn't break from looking into her eyes…couldn't stop himself from saying the truth…no, not to her…and not to those blue eyes…(though he could at least be slow and hesitant about it, which was what he was hoping to get away with right now…)

Helga just let out a scoff and rolled her eyes at that little generic reply from him. "Uh, you'll have to elaborate a little more than that, Arnoldo!" She leaned just a little more over the table. "Still waiting here, head boy…" she said in a voice just a little lower…just a little more arguably enticing.

Arnold shifted back just a little, pressing his back flush against the back of the booth, just…just trying to put a little more distance between himself and her in the hopes that doing so would make him more likely to be able to speak without just blabbing every single thought and feeling that had come into his head ever since her confession! He tugged at his collar and spoke again, doing his best to keep himself okay. "And so, I mean…I like you…since I don't hate you." He could already feel his face heating up with a blush. She was really going to make him say it, wasn't she?

Now Helga just gave him a look, some of the amusement of her smirk fading. "Arnold, you know what I'm waiting to hear about so can you quit taking us there gradually? How do you feel about me…" she had to blush a bit but managed to add nonetheless, "…you know…romantically…specifically?" She began to trace over the tabletop a little with one of her index fingers out of nervousness.

Arnold's wide-eyed and frozen face instantly took on a look of panic and distress. Having to just say it here and now when he'd only officially admitted it to himself mere hours ago. "I…well, I…" But…he just…he just couldn't lie to those blue eyes…couldn't lie to them or disappoint them by refusing to answer…and maybe also he wanted her to know…wanted to answer…just a little… "U-Um…I like you…a little…romantically…" He barely managed to get the last word out, "You know…" he began to ramble a little to smooth things over, "I guess I'd say I…_like you_ like you…and even…a…a lot…Helga..." And then he let out a breath and swallowed and managed to say in a firm though nervous little voice, just wanting to finish this up with an official straight statement. "I-I have a crush on you, Helga." His face burned with blushing.

Helga felt like her insides had just exploded in ecstasy. '_More than half way there! MORE THAN HALF WAY THERE!'_ "Mmm hmm…" she did her best to maintain though as she backed off a little, leaning back into her own seat a bit more again and glancing to the side. "Okay, well, that's something for now. You…have a crush on me." She had to blush…just had to at those words. But she knew that right now was not the time to harp on this new fact of which she had officially just come into possession or to squeal or twirl around and pass out (she'd save that for her room and shrine later). Yes, now that the mutual feelings of romanticness had been established, something else had to be decided. "W-Well…I guess then…now all that's really left for us to talk about is where you see things going from here with us...like I mentioned back at your house. I-I mean, you already mentioned you don't like the act: you don't want to pretend to not like each other anymore. So…_hypothetically_…" she stressed the last word, and brought her once again wide eyes to his… "If I…was willing maybe to…consider torpedoing our social lives and having an open and public 'thing' between us…would that be what you want, Arnold? Or would you just like me to cut down on the spitballs a little instead?" She tried to finish in a joke but inside she was a nervous wreck. It was important to her after all how public Arnold would be willing to take their relationship. Not that she was necessarily giving the green light for that but…it was just good to know. How willing would he be to admit that he had a crush on Helga G. Pataki…in front of other people?

She watched as a wide-eyed Arnold was silent for several seconds, absorbing this offer.

And then suddenly his eyes brightened and he grinned widely and suddenly gave her the most eager look in the world! "You'd…You'd really be willing to act like you love me…in public?" '_In public_…' The idea was almost too wonderful for him to think about! Getting to…to be with her in public. No more tension, no more pretending, no more having to hide. He could smile at her and talk with her and walk to class with her…carry her books…pull out chairs at lunchtime for her…sit with her at lunch…hold her hand on the playground…steal another kiss, maybe, in the hall while no one was looking…Oh wouldn't they look so nice together in all of those ways!

(Arnold ended up being snapped out of his daydreams about him and Helga as P.S. 118's cutest class couple by Helga's response to his reaction to her suggestion of a public relationship.)

And indeed, at the boy before her being so…enthusiastic, Helga had to blink and her heart dropped into her stomach and instantly she had her hands on the table and was half standing. "Whoa, whoa, whoa! Wait a minute, I said HYPOTHETICALLY! Just…ease up a little, Arnoldo…" She held up her hands a little and then let out a breath, and now sat back down…and, her initial surprise and slight panic over, actually smiled a little…unable to help it. After all, he…seemed practically giddy about admitting not just to _her_ but to _everyone_ that he cared for her. She was a little touched. She let out a sigh and once more put aside a desire to just daydream and swoon and pass out about him right here and right now. "Okay," she brought her eyes to his, speaking in a much calmer, lighter tone. "So…it looks like you wouldn't mind having everyone know that you like me like me and that I love you…" She chuckled a little to herself…and then she had to let out a breath and add, almost a little regretfully (though the smile still couldn't help but remain), "Now all I have to do is see about getting the word 'love' to cross your mind when it comes to me and we'll just be all set, won't we..." She looked to him with a little grin, expecting him to smile and chuckle and blush with her about that idea.

Instead, her eyes fell upon an Arnold that didn't breathe, didn't blink, didn't move a muscle…Just blushed and did his best to 'casually' focus his eyes on a knot in the wood of the tabletop.

Obviously, all of this effort at not bringing attention to himself brought an exceptional amount of attention to himself from Helga… She considered his strange reaction for a moment…and then suddenly her eyes went wide in total disbelief! _'Has that word…has he thought that maybe he might…?_' "Arnold…" she said quietly, seriously, looking at him very intently, "Have you thought that you might…love me too?"

She watched as Arnold took in a very deep breath at this question and then let out a very deep breath, and then he crossed his arms over his chest and glanced away in thought.

Several seconds of silence passed…

"Um…_hypothetically_…" Arnold started with a swallow (and his voice cracking just a little), "I-If I said that it had maybe…popped into my head once or twice…_that_ word…ever since you confessed…what would that mean…for us, I mean…?" The very unsure ten-year-old boy…heart pounding ( '_N-Not because I really do…love her…I-I'm just nervous right now…Heh…_')…looked across at the girl before him, waiting for a response.

However, Helga didn't answer…Instead she was silent…and just kept staring at him with the strangest look on her face…the absolutely strangest look…

"Helga…are you okay…?" Arnold asked hesitantly.

That strange look just continued though.

Arnold glanced down and clasped his hands together in front of himself on the table shyly. He began to ramble a little to try and fill the silence, his little feet swinging a bit under the table. "Helga, it…it's not that strange if I've, um…thought of _that_ word about you, considering your confession and everything…And then I mean last night we…we, um…had a date and then there's the fact that we…I guess…um, kind of sort of…made out a little, I think's the word…" He felt like he was going to collapse into a puddle of nerves. "So, with all of that, the word love…I couldn't really help trying to think of it in relation to…you, and—"

He blinked and stopped as he suddenly saw and felt Helga's hand reach across the table and clasp him by the wrist. His eyes snapped up to meet hers…

Hers still just held that strange look…though now at least she finally managed to speak…quietly though. "Um, Arnold…can you come with me for a second?"

Arnold blinked again, looked from her hand on his wrist back up to her and then gave a small nod. "Um…sure."

The girl across from him instantly stood up and pulled him along out of the ice cream parlor, out onto the sidewalk…then glanced around until her eyes lit upon the space between two buildings and she instantly made a swift beeline for that alleyway area, much to Arnold's confusion…

* * *

Around five or ten minutes later, Helga walked out of the alley and back onto the sidewalk with a very relieved smile and a content look in her eyes, her arms crossed over her chest. She let out a breath. "Sorry about that, Arnold," she said over her shoulder, not turning around…and blushing just a little. "But in my defense you practically admitted that you're almost in love with me…I, uh…just kind of needed to let a little bit of how that was making me feel out of me…" Finally she put her hands behind her back and glanced fully back in the direction of the mouth of the alley as she heard footsteps signaling that her beloved had gotten out of the little state of shock in which she had left him, and was exiting to the street now too…

Seeing him step back out into full view, Helga had to try very hard not to giggle and blush at the sight of him: his sweater was a little twisted around his body and his hair was shifted in a few ways…and he had the goofiest smile imaginable on his blushing little face.

"Uh, Arnold?" Helga stepped back toward him, still grinning, and waved a hand in front of his face a few times in an effort to get him out of his daze.

Arnold blinked a couple of times eventually and finally found a voice. "Oh, uh…" he chuckled randomly, then seemed to recall what Helga had said to him upon leaving the alley and replied in a dazed little tone, "Uh, no…no problem, Helga…" He swallowed and blushed more as he came more back to reality, and looked down and did his best to fix his clothes a little. "No…problem at all…" Finished returning his attire and hair to their former states, he then blushed extra and glanced at the girl before him. "You…really like kissing me, don't you, Helga?" He had to chuckle again: asking Helga G. Pataki that question—something that, prior to a week ago, would have seemed like an impossible inquiry to voice to her. How could he help but laugh at the wonder of it all?

Helga just let out a sigh and raised part of her brow at him, her grin picking up on one side. "It's…got its appeal, Arnold." Her blush grew a bit more. "And you, uh…like kissing me too…like you said this morning, right?" Her arms were behind her back shyly.

Arnold just swallowed and nodded his head, a small smile upon his lips. "Yeah…definitely."

Helga giggled at the cute response and brought her eyes back to his. "Wow…I got you liking kissing me, like liking me, AND thinking about loving me in only a week…" She laughed to herself and crossed her arms over her chest. "Remind me again why I didn't confess a lot sooner, Football Head?"

Arnold had to laugh at that, starting to feel himself loosening up a little again from all those kisses and moans and touches she had given him back in the alley. '_Boy, she's a good kisser…'_ "That was _my_ question, Helga…."

Helga just smiled more at him and rolled her eyes. Then she let out a lovesick sigh, and had to say, just to hear it and confirm it all again, "Okay, so…just to recap then: I love you, you…are definitely getting close to loving me, we like kissing each other, we've been on a date together, and you'd be willing to take this public in a heart beat. Did I leave anything out, Football Head?" She couldn't recall ever smiling as much or as genuinely as she was doing right here and now, or how anything else could be added on to all of that to make her at all perfectly happier…

Until…

"Um…m-maybe the part where I, um…ask if you'd like to maybe go on another date tonight, um…maybe…" These hesitant and stuttery and shy little words came from Arnold's mouth and she watched as the young boy in question dug one of his feet into the ground upon finishing his suggestion and obviously couldn't even bring his eyes to look up to hers, he was so very apparently nervous.

Okay, that did it: a full, wide, goofy smile instantly consumed all of Helga's face! Arnold had just…asked her out on a date! And not a 'You're blind because of me and I feel guilty' date…But a real genuine one! And he was acting all shy and nervous about it! Like it was important to him and he was even maybe worried about her actually saying no! So cute! She swooned and instantly replied in a dreamy voice, her hands clasped together over her heart, "Oh Arnold, I'd go to the ends of the earth with you…Of course I'll go on a date with you tonight, my dashing little do gooder prince! Nothing could make me happier, Arnold darling!" And now went forward and scooped him up in a tight hug, giggling like crazy.

Such an enthusiastic reaction was a little unexpected by Arnold but SO very more than welcome. And he'd even gotten her to talk in that lovely 'in love with him' voice again…and to put things so romantically… He just melted under the warmth of her embrace and swallowed. "Th-Thank you, Helga…And I'm happy I could make you so happy but…all of this makes _me_ really happy too so I think we're kind of even." He chuckled, and then let his arms come around her to so that for the first time since last night on his couch they were hugging one another at the same time.

Helga just sighed at his words and squeezed a little more tightly against him. _'Oh…Oh ARNOLD…I_…' And then a car passed by quickly and backfired a little and suddenly Helga's eyes snapped open and she recalled that this entire little exchange was taking place IN THE MIDDLE OF A FREAKING PUBLIC STREET and instantly she broke from her embrace with Arnold, and took several steps back and glanced around nervously…Luckily though the street seemed deserted of anyone they knew and she let out a sigh of relief. "Whew…" And then her eyes fell to a very confused looking Arnold. Helga blushed and glanced down sheepishly. "Uh…sorry about that, Arnold…It's just…I forgot for a second that we're outside and I…I mean, about 'going public' I…might need to ease into that a bit, if it's okay…" She brought her wide eyes to his, pouting slightly in her slight continuing fear and also in hope that he would understand.

And, well, she just plain looked adorable like that that Arnold couldn't help but just smile and nod and reply in such an understanding and compassionate and considerate voice, "I understand, Helga…It's a…a big transition. We'll just, um…" and then he reached forward and quickly took her hand and raised it up, "We'll take it one step at a time…together…" He then leaned down and gave the back of her hand a small, tender kiss, and then released it and stepped back shyly, having completed this slightly less intense show of intimacy than that deep hug of theirs had been.

Okay, even though a kiss on the hand was kind of still a big deal to her to be having happen in public, Helga still couldn't help her cheeks going pink and a giggle escaping her. "Arnold!" she replied in that light, romantic voice he liked, "You're such a little charmer!" And then, glancing around to make sure they really were free from any familiar eyes, Helga let out a sigh and took a step back toward him and then coyly reached out and placed the tip of her index finger under his little chin and lifted his shy face up so his eyes met hers. "And I don't know if I've explicitly mentioned this part of my love for you yet but…you are just the handsomest, princliest, cutest boy I've ever encountered in the entire world…_my beloved_…" She winked at him.

And then she was surprised to feel the pressure upon that single finger of hers holding up his chin increase quite a bit. Shifting her eyes over him she realized that his knees had started to buckle at her words, like he was going to drop to the ground or something. Instantly she removed her finger and now used both of her hands to hold him up by the shoulders. "Whoa, Arnold, take it easy there," she joked with a smile, "Remember? You pass out on me and we already agreed I'd be in my rights to try and get you hitched to me before you woke up, suit or no suit!"

"N-Not helping me not want to pass out, Helga…" was all she got out of that goofy, trembly looking mouth of his, his eyes all dewy and warm.

The response took a second to absorb, and when it did Helga's eyes went wide and she blushed bright scarlet and instantly pulled away from him and pressed herself back against the wall of the building beside them, just breathing in and out deeply through her nose.

Now Arnold really almost did fall, but, feeling himself going down, he struggled a little and finally got his legs steadily underneath his body. He stepped back near the building as well and rested against it to help with standing a little. "S-Sorry I almost fell, Helga…" he began with the shyest smile ever, glancing down, "But no one ever…told me I was…" more blushing, "And then you're a girl and…and one I like…_like_ like…and almost, um…well, _you know_…" His smile went all trembly again. "You…You really think I'm…I'm handsome and cute, Helga?" And honestly even with knowing she loved him the idea of himself physically appealing to her had never really made it into his mind…Plus his mind had been kind of more distracted lately with processing the interesting new situation of how physically appealing _she_ could be to _him_…

Helga only responded with silence to his question at first though, which made Arnold glance to her to see what was up. She was just plastered against the wall still, eyes still wide, and absolutely red as could be! "Helga?" he asked curiously, trying not to chuckle. "Are you okay?" He glanced around, coming a little bit out of his romantic daze for a moment—had someone seen them or something maybe? But no, the street was still basically empty.

Then he heard her swallow from beside him and say in a whisper, "You…You said that…the idea of me trying to marry you…wasn't a BAD thing…" His eyes went back to her and he saw her little jaw practically trembling. "I…Oh Arnold, I'm gonna be just as likely to pass out from all of this stuff with us as you are, aren't I?" She let out a deep, girlish sigh and brought a hand to her head and tried to take a deep breath or two to calm herself. '_He…not a bad thing…trying to marry…Oh!_' She wanted to fall in his arms and have him carry her off into the sunset right here and now!

Arnold, meanwhile, just blinked at first at Helga's strange little explanation of her behavior…but then smiled again and slid close to her, so that now they were shoulder to shoulder against the building. "Well…" he moved his hand slightly over so that the tips of their pinkies touched as their hands laid flat against the brick wall, "Of course the idea of that wouldn't be some horrible thing to me, Helga…" He blushed a little and shrugged. "I…I mean, we're only ten so it's not like we actually really could or anything…and I only just started really…really really like liking you about a week ago but, I mean…I could think of plenty of worse people to get married to, Helga…and I don't think I could come up with anyone better if I had to pick right now, and—"

He stopped at the feeling of a pair of warm, sweet, familiar lips pressing like a blooming flower against one of his cheeks. He felt the lips pull back after a second and then giggle sounded near his ear. "Oh you're such a sweetheart, Arnold…Couldn't think of anyone better than me to…" Helga let out a girlish sigh and then added coyly…letting her pinky finger creep over his now and wrap snugly around it while he just continued to look forward in dazed wonder, "And, um…as to your question before…Of course I meant what I said about you and what I think about you…You're the cutest guy in the whole world…That adorably shaped head, that small little chiseled jaw, those burning green eyes, those gorgeous tufts of blonde hair, those strong arms and hands…cute little chest…that feels pretty nice for a girl to snuggle against, by the way…I could just drink the sight of you in all day and night, my darling." She finished in a whisper and pulled away with another giggle.

Okay this time Arnold really did drop to the ground and now he was just sitting with his back against the building looking about as happy as anyone had ever seen him look in her entire life. At this sight, a still totally enamored Helga just let out a sigh and shook her head at him, just a touch of her normal tone returning now that Arnold was the one needing to be brought back to reality instead of her. "Crimeny Arnold, you're becoming even more of a sap than me. Here, my love, let me help you up. " She reached down, took his hand, and helped yank the poor smitten boy to his feet, putting his arm over her shoulders and doing her best to make sure he was stable. "There you go, head boy. Now come on, dust yourself off—you can absorb the fact that you're a hunk later." She laughed and blushed a little more at her cute little hunk and at him reacting in such a way to finding out just how much of a hunk he was.

Arnold just laughed right along with her and clung to her for a few more seconds before managing to right himself completely again. "I…Okay, I think I'm good now…Thanks, Helga…" A little shudder passed through him and he just smiled more. "Sorry, it just took me a second to absorb that…that you think I'm that cute." And now that he was standing…he glanced to the side bashfully and added, hands clasped in front of his body. "And…I really couldn't fully admit this to myself until last night but…you reminded me, so before we go I'd like to say it." He took a breath and spoke, looking into her eyes and trying not to let himself chicken out from nervousness or shyness, "You're…You're cute too, Helga…and really…really pretty…Especially when you smile and blush and giggle and your eyes go all wide…The prettiest girl I've ever seen when you're like that, actually…."

Taking in such unexpected words, Helga's eyes went wide as could be again and she just blinked a few times and blushed and then glanced away nervously, tugging at her collar and even taking a step back from him. "A-Arnold, um…listen…It's sweet that you're trying to say something nice about me being cute back to me since I told you how much of a dreamboat you are but…you don't have to, okay? I know I'm not exactly a supermodel…you know?" A small frown came to her face. '_I-It's nice of him but…I know that I'm…not…pretty…'_ Her mind couldn't help but flash back to those few times in her life of walking down the street and having people mistake her for a boy, of all things. She felt so gruff most of the time: what could he really see in her that was at all 'cute'?

Instantly at her words Arnold blinked and frowned too. "But…" he couldn't even begin to… "But Helga…what are you talking about? Of course you're pretty! You're…I mean…" He just blinked a bunch of times, disbelieving that she couldn't… And now he blushed a lot because knew the only way he would be able to convince her…Details. "I-I mean, um…Well, just look at you…" he barely gestured forward shyly with his head. "You've got this…this hair that's the color of sunshine and it...it feels like silk and it's so long and nice to touch, and then your eyes are blue like…like I don't even know what. But they're deep and warm and impossible to look away from once you start looking into them. And then, um…I mean…hugging you and holding you…You're so warm and soft and…it's like you fit in my arms or something, and…" As he'd been speaking he'd been blushing more and more…and also going more and more off into daydreams, "…And you're lips are so cute…like this perfect pink little flower that I never noticed before…You're beautiful, Helga G. Pataki…Most beautiful girl in the whole wide world." A deep shuddery sigh escaped him, and he just stood there, letting all the lovely feelings inside of him wash over him…letting all the lovely daydreams he wanted about Helga…beautiful Helga…come and go as they pleased through his mind.

Eventually he managed to just barely pull himself back into the present moment, and then he got his eyes in Helga's direction and she was just…just smiling and smiling and smiling and…blushing so much but still just smiling away. And then, before he could say anything, she came forward and placed her hands upon his shoulders and gave him a deep, tender, lingering peck upon his lips…and then when she was done she pulled him against her and whispered happily into his ear, her head resting upon his shoulder, "I love you, Arnold…"

Arnold let out a deep sigh and whispered back, to her surprise (just…so very unable to keep things inside of himself when he was close to her like this)… "And I…I love hearing you say that, Helga, over and over…And I'm, um…Well, I've definitely got something big going on inside of me about you, Helga…And I'll try to figure it out as soon as I can and I'll let you know, okay?"

Her smile brightened and she just squeezed him a little extra at those kind, considerate words. "Thanks, Football Head…my beloved football head."

Arnold chuckled and Helga laughed and they pulled back again to just stand before each other once more.

Arnold, with a smile, swallowed and rubbed the back of his neck. "So, um…where would you like to go on our date tonight?" He looked up at her hopefully.

Helga, her heart fluttering at this little reminder of their indeed impending date this evening, just shrugged a little, her hands clasped together in front of herself. "Well, um…I'm fine with anything but…could we maybe try again what we did last night after the dance, but, um, you know, with more time to savor it since we won't be exhausted…? Just going over to your house, maybe eating something and watching a movie on your couch…?" She blushed a lot and quickly added, "I-I mean, um…I'll be sleeping at my own house tonight of course but, um…before that just you and me spending time together and no more beating around the bush about what's going on between us?" She looked at him hopefully.

Her eyes were met with a charming half lidded Arnold smile. And then he leaned down and took her hand in his once more today. "That sounds…perfect Helga." He raised her hand and gave it a small kiss…letting this one linger a bit (she noticed with an extra little blush), and then he lowered her hand, his eyes still looking into hers. "How about you come over for dinner tonight and we'll do the spending time together thing right after that? I'll, um…come by your house to pick you up around 6 if that's okay?" _He_ was the one looking at _her_ hopefully this time.

Helga cocked her head to the side a little at his funny last question, and then rolled her eyes a little, putting her free hand on one of her hips. "Arnold, 6 sounds great but I can just walk over to your house around then all by myself—we only live like three blocks from each other. I think I can manage." She almost chuckled a little.

Arnold just shrugged and smiled back at her. "I know but…this is an official date. I want to do it right. So I'd…I'd like to pick you up for it…escort you and everything. If you wouldn't mind, of course." He smiled more to himself, his little blush still painting his features.

Helga blinked…and then smiled goofily and squeezed his hand a tiny bit, letting her hand on her hip come behind her back shyly. "Oh…Well, um, sure then, Arnold…Guess we could try it like that…" She let out a sigh and some of her normal tone resumed as she added, "Crimeny, quit pouring on the gentlemanly charm so much or I'm gonna start think you use lines like this on ALL the girls, Football Head."

Arnold blushed quite a bit himself and then released her hand, bringing both of his own in front of himself shyly. He shook his head…still with a little smile on his face. "No, Helga…No girl's ever made me want to date her like a grown up would…like how I want to date you. And also no girl ever made me almost pass out in a street twice because she thought I was cute…And then there's the whole sleeping in each others arms thing…The word love…The marriage thing…." He just sighed and looked at her all dreamily. "You're some kind of girl, Helga G. Pataki…and I kind of like it."

Helga just blushed and smiled and raised part of her brow at him. She crossed her arms over her chest and replied with just a touch of something flirtatious, " Well, well, well…I'll just have to keep letting you and the girl part of me get acquainted and we'll see where this whirlwind romance goes from there, I guess, huh?"

Arnold nodded, blushing quite a bit more himself… "Wh-Whatever you say, Helga…" And then the young boy took a shy step back. "Well, um…until later then, m-my um…" He wanted to try a pet name but he suddenly realized he wasn't good at coming up with ones and also he didn't feel comfortable using any of the ones she used for him as most of those either involved the shape of his head or the word 'love', "My…Helga…" He blinked and realized he'd just called her 'my Helga' by accident. But then his heart fluttered a little—honestly, come to think of it, that wasn't half bad. Kind of a transitional pet name. '_My Helga…_' And plus…she kind of was his precious Helga—his former bully…and now his…well, they'd have to discuss cementing that whole boyfriend/girlfriend thing later but one thing was certain—she was a special part of his life so… 'My Helga' fit perfectly, in his opinion.

He just watched her blush like mad and grin so happily and brightly at what he had called her…and that told him that 'my Helga' was definitely the best accidental slip of the tongue he'd ever made in his entire life. She giggled again and gave him a small wave goodbye. "Bye…my Arnold…" she said back to him with a little flutter of her eyelashes.

Arnold had been kind of side stepping/walking backwards from her as he was leaving (mostly to try and keep looking at her as long as possible, though admitting that to himself made his little heart thump and thump and thump even more quickly), and now he was just trying to end on a smooth small, little wave back to her…Unfortunately though, between now being called 'my Arnold' back by her and also how just utterly full of fluttery feelings he was at the moment and also just the fact that he was walking backwards, two steps later he half tripped backward over a fire hydrant. His face took on a look of nervousness as he righted himself, but luckily as he got himself stable again he noticed that the little slip of his only made Helga bring a hand to her mouth and giggle and smile at him all the more. He blushed a lot and tugged at his collar shyly but then finally made it around the corner with a last small wave and smile to her.

Seeing him finally finish his departure, Helga just swooned and sighed and raced into the nearest alley. The locket was out in an instant! "Oh…ARNOLD…" she practically purred his name… "Arnold, you're…and we're…and I'm…and _you're_…Oh ARNOLD!" She squealed and twirled in a circle. "Th-This is…incredible! He…He's…He's totally over the moon for me! He made out with me, he fed me, he thinks I'm beautiful! And he asked me out for a date tonight!" Helga was elated! She was on cloud nine! This was pure heaven!_ 'Yes, our first real date will be tonight and he'll finally get to see how wonderful it would be if we were really together permanently as a couple!' _She was about to do another twirl of delight…

…When something about that last thought of hers struck her…and she stopped in her reverie instantly. Her eyes went wide and she gulped. "This…could possibly be the most important night of my life couldn't it…?" The locket fell a little and her mind started to race. "If…If I mess this date up tonight…in ANY WAY…m-maybe he'll just…really see the last week between us as a fluke! As a stupid silly coincidence! If I mess it up what if that gets him thinking that there's no way we could ever have a real, long term relationship?" Her eyes darted around in fear for a moment…and then a determined, firm look came to her face. "No. Helga G. Pataki is NOT going to mess up this golden opportunity! I will make sure that tonight I show him completely and thoroughly just how sweet and loving and affectionate I am deep down. I won't hide my love for him anymore—in fact I will immerse him in it so thoroughly that he'll never be able to look at me without thinking that word again! Yes, I will prove to him that I can be more than just one of his 'best friends'…I can be his girlfriend too!" She pounded her fist holding her locket into the palm of her other hand, thoroughly set on this course of action.

_Wheeze. Wheeze._

Helga rolled her eyes and just turned around with a scowl to see Brainy popping up out of a trashcan behind her…and he was wearing a trench coat? '_Huh, that looks like mine from the FTi thing. Why the heck is he dressed like that?'_ She just let out an exasperated sigh and shoved her locket back inside of her jumper pocket, not having time for this. "Brainy, I've just got too much on my plate today to deal with asking you why you're here, wasting a bunch of time getting a vague response from you, and then socking you, so I'm going to give you exactly five seconds to just tell me what your deal is and then I'm walking away."

He just wheezed…smiled…blushed a little.

His five seconds were up though.

"Oh brother." Helga rolled her eyes again and kicked his trashcan over. "I'm surrounded." She then turned away from him, recalling her plans. "Okay, time to start putting Operation: First Real Date into effect. First things first…can't make myself girlfriend material alone…" She reached into her jumper pocket and pulled out her familiar walkie-talkie as she started heading up the street in the direction of her house. "Grubworm? Yeah, this is Mighty Falcon. Emergency meeting at my house NOW. You would not BELIEVE the night I've had…OR the morning…"

* * *

A couple of blocks away a beaming young Arnold practically had a skip in his step as he raced back to the boarding house, his eyes bright and full of hope and joy. Had the sun ever shone so beautifully? Had the air ever smelled so sweet? Had the simple sounds of the city ever been so lovely? He took in a deep inhale through his nose and into his lungs, his smile going from ear to ear as he ran up Vine street to the boarding house door.

"She…She said yes! I asked her out on a date and she said yes!" He'd been happily repeating this simple fact over and over to himself ever since leaving Slausens…and also leaving (for now) the wonderful, funny, perfect girl who was making all these emotions and bubbly feelings happen inside of him in the first place.

The thought of her and their goodbye though, however overall happy a thought it was, suddenly couldn't help but make that image appear in Arnold's mind again of him waving goodbye to her as he'd left her in front of the ice cream parlour and then tripping back over the fire hydrant only to have her smile and giggle and wave back at him so adorably in response. He blushed a little in embarrassment at having tripped like that and sighed to himself. '_Great…I finally get a great girl to like me and end up liking her back and I can't even say goodbye to her without looking like a geek…' _Still though, Helga _had_ seemed to find it more amusing than pathetic and that gave him hope…and besides, his doing that _had_ gotten one of those cute little giggles out of her and…those were starting to grow on him.

Arnold reached his front stoop now, taking a second to lean against the railing to catch his breath, still with that huge smile on his face. "It doesn't matter anyway…There'll be plenty of time to impress her tonight." He nodded to himself, straightening up a little now that he'd caught his breath. "Yeah…She'll forget all about me tripping over the fire hydrant. And she'll smile again…" he started to walk up his stoop to the front door, totally in a daze, "…She'll giggle…I'll be close enough to touch her hair….Her eyes are so blue…M-Maybe we'll even…kiss more….Maybe she'll say 'I love you' again…." He put his hand on the door handle and opened it, not really thinking, a totally gone look on his face.

"Hey, man. So…you have a good April Fools Day?"

A smirking Gerald Johannsen with his arms crossed over his chest stood right on the other side of the door.

Arnold's 'ga ga' look remained for a second longer and then instantly his eyes flew open wide and he blushed furiously! "GERALD!" He almost reeled back a little. "H-How did…When did…Um…Heh…Wh-What are you doing here?" he asked with a sheepish grin, arms behind his back now.

Gerald tried not to chuckle. "Oh, you know…just checking up on you…" He was trying to look casual but there was something smug in the way he was talking and smiling and it made Arnold gulp in nervousness. "I mean, I didn't hear from you after that whole 'pool prank' fiasco last night and I just wanted to see how you were doing?" He smiled at his friend a little more.

Arnold blinked a few times and glanced off to the side with wide eyes. "U-Um…I…W-Well, um…th-there's not…too much to tell. I-I just, um…left the dance and…ended up back here…w-went to sleep…w-woke up…got some ice cream, heh…" There was that sheepish smile again. "Wh-Why do you ask, Gerald?" Inside Arnold's heart was pounding in nervousness—he had a pretty good feeling that Helga did _not_ want things between them to be public yet, and also he himself wasn't too keen on suddenly sharing all of the intimate details of his night of passionate kisses with Helga with someone, even if that someone was his best friend.

A small chuckle escaped Gerald and he just shrugged. "Oh, no reason…just curious…" He eyed Arnold a little, his grin growing. "So…_nothing_ unusual happened last night?"

Arnold gulped again and shook his head. "N-No, not really…heh…"

"Uh huh…" Gerald went on, "And all you did was leave the dance and head back here?"

Arnold nodded, feeling himself blushing more and his breathing picking up. "Uh…something like that….Yeah…"

"You just had an average night?"

"S-Sort of…"

"And there's nothing to report?"

"N-No…"

"And so you've got nothing to hide?"

"Yes..!"

"And you've been crushing on Helga G. Pataki for _how_ long?"

"About a week."

Approximately two seconds later Arnold realized what Gerald and his quick questions had just tricked him into saying, and his nervous green eyes fully dilated and hot scarlet seared his cheeks. "GERALD!" he instantly squeaked out in sad defeat at his slip up!

Gerald just started chuckling uncontrollably, holding his sides, his eyes shut in mirth. "I-I-I'm sorry, man, I couldn't resist! Oh but this is classic—you have the hots for Helg—"

Gerald was instantly cut off by a nervous looking Arnold suddenly grabbing his arm and pulling him into the boarding house, and slamming the door shut tight behind them. Before the very confused tall haired boy could react or respond to his friend's sudden action, a blushing and wide-eyed Arnold was then instantly pulling him down the hall and up the stairs, obviously in the direction of his room.

"Oh, hey, Shortman and Gerald!" Entering the upstairs hallways, the two boys suddenly found themselves passing by a smiling and waving Phil. "Slow down, where's the fire, heh, heh?..." A sly look came into his eyes. "Then again, all things considered, for you at this point, Shortman, 'wherever Helga is' is where the fire is, right? Heh, heh, heh!" Phil held his sides in mirthful laughter.

"Mmm…" Arnold let out a small moan of embarrassed distress but did his best to just keep plowing on through the hallway. "G-Grandpa…n-not now…"

"Heh, heh, heh!" Phil just laughed more to himself as Arnold with Gerald reached the attic door and Arnold pulled down his steps so that the two of them started to ascend. "Okay, Arnold, but if she calls I reserve the right to let her know that 'hot lips' will be down in a second! Heh, heh, heh!"

"Mmm…" Another one of those small distressed moans escaped Arnold as he finally reached his bedroom door, flung it open, got himself inside of his room with Gerald and then shut the door tight behind him. He now just leaned with his back pressed against it, his eyes wide, and his face hot all over. He took a moment to let his nervousness ebb and then let out a deep breath to calm himself….

The sound of his best friend suddenly breaking into hysterical laughter though instantly brought Arnold's eyes and thoughts back to Gerald and he scowled at him just a little in embarrassment. "G-Gerald! None of this is funny!" he did his best to announce firmly though his nerves were so rattled now that his voice sounded pretty shaky at this point, to say the least.

Gerald was still laughing though, holding his sides, trying to stand. He shook his head and wiped a tear from his eye. "A-A-Arnold, this is…you're…you and…Oh man I saw you guys in the pool last night and you were…HOT LIPS! ABOUT A WEEK!" He went back to just laughing and laughing and laughing!

Arnold felt waves of heat going through his face again but he just had to take it in stride because he needed to explain some things to Gerald and quickly! "G-Gerald, listen to me! You can't tell ANYONE about this! Not Stinky, not Sid, not Harold—nobody else!" He moved forward and grabbed his friend's shoulders, straightening his still-laughing self up. "And please don't even talk about it outside or anything just in case someone overhears!" And then a new thought occurred to him ten times more important and more potentially worse than the other ones. "And PLEASE don't tease Helga about this! PLEASE!"

Some of Gerald's laughter subsided a bit and he managed to look at his friend with a grin and reply, "Ooo or what, she won't let you climb on top of her in pools anymore?" His full-blown laughter returned.

Arnold just felt flushed all over with blushing heat at this point. "Gerald!" he squeaked again, holding his shoulders a bit more firmly and again straightening up his once more nearly doubled over friend! "H-How did you even see us?" was all he could think to ask in his fluster.

Gerald got his laughter under control again for a moment and shrugged. "Last night before me and Phoebe left the school, I heard a splash and peeked in and I saw you climbing all over Helga…" He grinned a little smugly. "And hey, way to go, Casanova—she seemed pretty okay with you on top of her like that." He winked.

Arnold just…closed his eyes and let out a very deep sigh…and then he let Gerald go, opened his eyes again…and seemed to consider some things…

Gerald, finally having gotten the bulk of the laughter out of his system, just watched his friend with a curious smile.

Finally Arnold seemed to come to a decision about something and let out a sigh and shrugged…and spoke again (his voice somewhere between level and shaky). "O-Okay…Gerald…there's something I…think you need to know…b-but, um…it's kind of a secret and it's not even my secret so I don't think it's okay for me to say it to you directly…at least not without someone's permission." A puzzled look came to Arnold's face at how to get around that problem. He wanted to explain the situation completely to Gerald now so that his best friend wouldn't make a ton of assumptions and so he would understand the real need for this whole Helga thing to be a TOTAL secret…but at the same time Arnold just plain felt funny saying Helga's secret for her.

"Well, can't you just write it down or act it out or something?" Gerald asked curiously at first…and then his grin picked up and he snapped his fingers. "Yeah, act it out, man! Charades! If I figure it out on my own then you didn't really tell me, right?"

Arnold blinked and looked at Gerald and considered. Charades? "I-I don't know, Gerald…" He still felt a little guilty about the idea of that…But then again…Gerald obviously already knew something big and romantic was up between himself and Helga…and this really would be to make sure Helga's secret was kept safe…and it would also make sure Gerald was straight on the situation and wasn't coming up with any wacky theories of his own… And so Arnold finally nodded. "O-Okay…I guess…"

Gerald smiled and nodded back. "Cool man. Let's start." He sat himself on the couch with an eager grin.

Arnold let out a breath, thought for a moment, and then held up three fingers to Gerald.

"Okay, three words…" Gerald spoke brightly.

Arnold nodded, put a hand to his chin in thought and then went on, holding up his index finger.

"First word…" Gerald supplied.

Arnold looked at Gerald and scowled darkly and then went forward and roughly grabbed him by his collar, yanking him up dramatically.

Gerald's eyes went wide and he gulped…and then it clicked in his head. "O-Oh…H-Helga…heh…"

Arnold released Gerald and smiled and nodded his affirmation and then stepped back into the middle of the room.

Gerald rubbed the back of his neck with one of his hands. "O-Okay, so first word is 'Helga'…" He smiled just a touch smugly at his friend again. "Figures, huh?" He winked.

Arnold rolled his eyes and let out a sigh and blushed a little bit again, but just moved past the little joke and held up two fingers.

"Second word…" a smiling Gerald supplied again.

Arnold let out a breath, really having to think about how to express this one. Then he looked back to his best friend and tugged on his ear.

"Sounds like," Gerald suggested brightly.

Arnold nodded and then looked around. Then he looked up…and then looked back to Gerald and pointed up.

Gerald looked at him curiously. "Sounds like…sky?"

Arnold shook his head, then he gestured down to his floor and then gestured up to his skylight ceiling overhead again. '_Sounds like 'above', Gerald, 'above'!_'

"Um…high?" Gerald went on guessing, waiting for a high sign from Arnold. "Ceiling?...Glass?...Roof?..."

Arnold shook his head and gestured once more down and once more up.

"Hmm…" Gerald put a hand on his chin, "Down and up…" Arnold looked at him meaningfully, "Low and high…Um…"

Arnold, seeing this wasn't working, went over to the end table next to his couch and placed one hand below the top of it and one hand above the top of it.

Gerald looked at him curiously a bit more… "Under and on top…?"

Arnold started to nod a little and spun both of his hands in circles at the wrists, gesturing for him to go on, to push things further.

"Below and above?" Gerald asked.

Arnold nodded enthusiastically and smiled brightly.

"Sounds like below and above?" Gerald questioned in confusion.

Arnold shook his head and put his hand back over the top of the nightstand again.

Gerald blinked and smiled. "Okay, sounds like 'above'?"

Arnold nodded, smiling more!

"Hmm…" Gerald put a hand to his chin… "Sounds like above…Dove…Glove…Shove…Helga…Helga shoves!" He looked at his friend enthusiastically!

Arnold shook his head, letting out a frustrated sigh. This was harder than it looked. He scratched his head but then looked to Gerald once more, an idea occurring to him. He reached out his hands, touched the tips of his index fingers together, and the brought them up and around on opposite sides and then back together again at the bottom to make a little heart in the air (and tried not to feel all goofy or embarrassed inside too much as he did this).

"A heart?" Gerald blinked a first…but then a smug grin came to his face. "A heart and rhymes with 'above'…Love, Arnold?"

Arnold nodded shyly, bringing his hands behind his back.

"Ah, okay…" Gerald chuckled. "So…Helga love…"

Arnold shook his head and rotated his hands on his wrists, urging Gerald to expand upon that a tiny bit.

"Um…Helga love…Helga…love…Helga love…Helga…loves…? Helga loves?" Gerald asked.

Arnold nodded, still looking extra shy… Then with a little gulp he held up three fingers.

"Third word…Heh and let's hope it's easier than figuring out the word 'lo—"

Gerald stopped…because all Arnold was doing as his clue for the third word was…looking down sheepishly and…pointing to himself.

It took Gerald a second…and then it all fell into place…and it made him blush himself because he hadn't expected a secret quite like that though he knew that his man and Helga obviously had something going on between them (he'd been figuring, though, that the situation was something more like Arnold had gotten a random crush on Helga since he seemed to love to chase women who wanted nothing to do with him, Helga had NOT seen that coming and been so flustered by it that she actually…might have started to go with it…and now they were both kind of in deep crush mode or something on each other. He…certainly hadn't expected the charaded message of 'Helga Loves Me', to say the least.)

"Helga…loves you." Gerald raised an eyebrow. "Helga…loves you…" He had to try out that sentence again. "Helga loves Arnold… She…She's in love with you?" He just sat there, a rather…fascinated look on his face as he just waited for it to be confirmed once again.

Arnold started with a small nod but then he just couldn't take it and suddenly nodded furiously and spoke again. "YES! She…what you just said!" And now his honest little self was in full confession mode. "That's the secret! And last night she…after the dance I walked her home and we held hands and we talked and we kissed and I went to leave her at her stoop but she ran back around the corner to me and told me she wanted to talk about it so we went back here and had ice cream and talked and kissed…so much kissing…and then we woke up and talked and there was touching and hugging and I have a date with her tonight, okay?" He looked at his friend totally desperately, breathing heavily, full on blushing at just getting this off of his chest.

Gerald was just sitting there on his couch…jaw agape now as he took all of that in. Then he blinked several times, shaking his head. "Whoa, whoa, whoa…" he said slowly. "Okay, time out. Let's take this all one step at a time." He rubbed one of his temples. "Now…let me just get this absolutely straight. Helga G. Pataki…is in love…with you."

Arnold just nodded, still looking so distressed and nervous.

"A-And you…" Gerald looked at him with _much_ interest, "Are….?"

Arnold blinked at the question, then looked at his friend curiously…

Seeing that he wasn't getting it, Gerald went on. "You…are…in love with her too?" he finally asked.

Arnold's jaw dropped and his face instantly turned that bright scarlet color again. "No! I…well, I mean…" his arms went behind his body. "I…I definitely like her like her…a-a lot…b-but I…I don't...know if…I…mean…" He let out a deep breath. "It's complicated," he finally settled on.

Gerald just nodded. He could tell that his friend really was confused right now and (especially after getting in all those laughs before at his expense) he didn't want to pressure him too much. "Okay. So…you're going on this date with her tonight to…figure out how you feel?" He smiled.

Arnold shrugged and nodded. "Well, um…sort of. I guess it's just to start to figure out how I feel and also, well…like I said, I…" his smile couldn't help but get dreamy…his eyes went half lidded, "I really really like like her…a lot…"

Arnold was only brought out of his lovesickness by the sound of another chuckle or two coming unable to help escaping from his best friend, which instantly reminded the young football headed boy that he wasn't exactly 'alone with his thoughts' or anything at the moment. He looked to Gerald again. "Gerald, please…it's really not funny. This is really important to me, okay?..._She's_ really important to me…"

Gerald let out a breath and stood up from the couch now and came forward, putting a sympathetic hand on his friend's shoulder. "Hey, Arnold, look…I'm sorry, I didn't mean to laugh at you. It's just…I've never seen you look so…nervous before! You're blushing, you're sweating, you're tripping all over yourself…Just calm down, man, it's gonna be okay." He smiled supportively at him. "And seriously, I won't laugh anymore…I knew there was something funny between you two last week at her birthday, and you've been acting a little funny around her all week, and then with that tango last night…and of course seeing you two in the pool…So anyway my point is that I've had some time to get used to this insanity and, well…if you're happy, Arnold, then I'm here for you." He gave him a sincere nod.

Arnold smiled such a relieved and grateful smile at hearing these words, so very happy to finally have someone to talk to about all of this who understood. "Thanks, Gerald. Really…I really really appreciate that. A-And um…" he glanced down a little shyly, blushing again, "I'm definitely happy…_believe me!"_

Gerald removed his hand from Arnold's shoulder, happy to help his friend. "Glad to hear it, man. So…" a bit of a smug look returned to his face, "You all set to wow her tonight with some smooth talk and a little…uh…" Gerald had to blush a bit and try not to chuckle again, "Do you guys seriously…kiss? Like…_kiss_ kiss?"

Arnold's eyes went a little wide again, and then he cleared his throat and swallowed and nodded. "Uh…" his high-pitched little voice of modesty came out, "Y-Yes…we kiss…you know…on the lips…We might have, um…technically…made out, actually. Heh…"

Gerald just nodded, still with a smile. "Oh, okay, just wanted to che—YOU MADE OUT WITH HELGA G. PATAKI?" Gerald practically jumped up in the air, a look of total shock on his face now as this statement from Arnold fully processed now!

Arnold, hoping but certainly not expecting that that little revelation was going to go over smoothly, cringed and blushed at his best friend's response. "Gerald, please!" He looked around anxiously. "Even indoors don't yell it like that! What if a window's open and someone hears! It's really important that this stays a secret!"

"Okay, okay, I've got it man!" a still in shock Gerald quickly assured, holding out his hands to kind of steady himself. "I-I just wasn't expecting…" He let out a sigh, giving himself a moment. "Okay, okay…I can accept that you m-made out with Helga…on the lips…" He cringed a little but got himself under control and looked back up at his friend, recalling something. "Oh and hey there're a few other details that came out in that little confession you just made that I'd like some clarification on later, if you wouldn't mind. Mostly on when you talked about the two of you 'waking up'…?" He raised an eyebrow about as high as it could go, almost not wanting to know and yet…fully aware that now he was too deep in to be able to handle not knowing everything he possibly about all this stuff suddenly going on between Helga G. Pataki and his best friend.

Arnold looked away so very shyly at the reminder about that little tidbit his honesty had accidently thrown in there when he'd been blurting stuff out in desperation to Gerald. "Um…o-okay…" he managed with a small nod, "But not right now, okay? Later… I…Now I have to figure out what I'm going to do on this date tonight. I really want her to like me, Gerald. And she already loves me, I know that, but…" He sighed and looked back to his friend in distress. "Gerald…She obviously has this built up idea of who I am…Wh-What if I can't live up to that? Last night worked but…it was all so spontaneous. What if I…" and suddenly he was grabbing Gerald's shoulders, looking him right in the eye and speaking with a touch of abandon and hysterical-ness again like he had been doing with his first passionate outburst about all of this. "Gerald, let's level here—I'm horrible with girls! I couldn't get Ruth to see me as anything more than a busboy on our only date, I made an idiot of myself with Ms. Felter, that Summer girl completely used me and thought I was a geek the whole time, and I liked Lila back for five minutes before she completely stopped like liking me! And now this, tonight…it's more important than any of those other times because, Gerald, there's something different about Helga! I don't know how to describe it but it's just…different! And _a lot _more important! And if she leaves here tonight and doesn't like me back anymore then I'm not sure what I'm going to do!" He was breathing heavily, his eyes locked onto those of a shocked looking Gerald, and all of these fears and thoughts and doubts spilling out of him and flooding over him all at once and making him feel like more of a nervous wreck than he had ever been in his entire ten years of life!

Gerald, meanwhile, just…took all of that in…then just blinked a few times…and then reached up and took his best friend's hands and gently removed them from his shoulders. "Arnold…" he began to reply calmly, almost a touch of worry in his voice, "Calm down…It's okay…" He spoke as reassuringly as he could. "You are going to be fine tonight…I promise you…" He looked him in the eyes. "Now, come on…You know how we're going to prepare for this date?" He smiled. "I'm gonna order us a pizza, we're going to split it and some Yahoo sodas, and then we're going to watch cartoons and you are going to relax…" His smile grew. "And I promise Helga will like you when she comes over tonight, alright?"

Arnold gulped, considered, seemed hesitant at first…but then finally let out a deep breath and nodded. "O-Okay…That…That actually sounds like it might be just what I need, Gerald. Just…to relax. Thanks." He smiled at his best friend gratefully.

Gerald just nodded, smiling back. "Okay, well let's get to it, then!" He winked and began to lead his nervous football headed friend back to his room door. "And, uh…when you've got a few slices in you and you're feeling a little more stable again…like I was saying, maybe I could get details on exactly what happened last night…and this morning apparently?"

Arnold blushed a little and nodded as Gerald opened the door and they stepped out onto his steps and began to head down. He even gave a small chuckle. "Sure, Gerald." He sighed. "I think I should chip in a little extra and get us an _extra large_ pizza though…It's a…_long_ story."

Gerald just chuckled a little and shook his head. "Whatever you say, man."

Arnold smiled more, really truly grateful for the first time since it had happened that he had opened his front door before only to see Gerald standing there smiling smugly, and with that the two boys finished heading up the hall and then headed downstairs to help Arnold relax before his big second date with Helga.

* * *

**A/N:**

Alright, that's all for now :) I've got some cute plans for their little date so please stay tuned, and I hope you all enjoyed this and sorry for delays in updating and stuff ^w^

Also, a slight note: starting next week I am going to be working A LOT—like A LOT—because I'm trying to go back into school in the spring and need money to do that so for the next two months (May, June) updates from me are going to be really scarce. Maybe another chapter of this and a one shot or two, probably nothing with LTBH. Just wanted to let anyone waiting for updates know and thank so much, you guys, for your patience and encouragement and reviews! Have lovely weekends!

Happy Reading!

~Azure129 aka Jenna


	4. Date Night

**A/N:**

Hey guys, I've been wanting to get another update to this story done for a while so here it is ^w^ I hope you all like it! It's just the start of Arnold and Helga's first official date now that Arnold has FINALLY realized he has romantic feelings for her XDXDXD Took the little shrimp long enough, right? ;) Anyway, please read and review, and have a wonderful rest of your summer, everyone! (Or winter, depending on your hemisphere ^w^).

Also, a special shoutout to all my good HA! buddies and friends and sisters (BrokenRose, KasuKAPL, HAFanForever, etc.), but especially to **NintendoGal55** who's not only been giving me a world of crazy writing to look forward to every day, but who's also just been…very wonderful in general about helping me cope with some stuff lately, and especially with something kind of upsetting that happened a few weeks ago:) Lol, I feel like she always ends up being the person I happen to be talking to when I'm having a particularly bad or sad moment, and she's always so loving and supportive and caring about me and my emotional basketcase-ness so…thank you **NintendoGal** 8D I luffles you! ^w^

**Also, a slight note:**

**In the second chapter I had it established that Arnold and Helga were eating breakfast on Sunday morning which would make the day of this date Sunday night. I have changed that line in chapter 2 to read 'Saturday morning' so that now the day of this date is Saturday. It's helpful for me with something coming up in the fic, and also it makes more sense that the April Fools dance is on a Friday since they were in school before going to it. Okay, thank you! ^w^**

Alright, here we go!

**APRIL 2****nd**

**Chapter 4:**

**Date Night**

* * *

"Okay, so…just…to make absolutely sure that I have this straight now…" Gerald Johannsen started. He was sitting upon Arnold's living room couch beside his best friend and with a (now chilling) slice of pizza on a paper plate in his lap…And the tall-haired boy's eyes were just looking down and forward, and his mouth was quirked to the side contemplatively. He spoke. "Exactly one week ago…while we were trying to save the neighborhood…you ended up on the roof of the FTi building and found Deep Voice out there in a trench coat. Deep Voice turned out to be Helga. You asked her why she did it. She made some bad excuses. You asked her again. She told you that she did it for you and because…she l-loves you." He was going to be having trouble with that word for a while. "Then she started going on about her obsession with you, getting hysterical, and ended it by grabbing you and planting one right on your lips. You had no idea what to do after that so you just took her with you to help us finish saving the neighborhood. Later after Sheck got taken away you both pretended her whole confession was just some 'heat of the moment' thing. Then that morning at the big neighborhood breakfast you found out it was her birthday. That's why you set up that surprise party for her. Then you went to her house and walked her to Slausens. Both of you tried to talk a little about everything but agreed to wait on the big stuff until you were both more ready. Then at the ice cream parlor at some point in the back room you ended up all but making out with her." A little twitch came from him now but it was an improvement over the almost shuddering cringe that had gone through him when Arnold had explained all of this stuff to him in the first place over the last half hour. Anyway, though, Gerald moved past the awkwardness and went on, moving to a conclusion of things. "And ever since then, you've spent the last week thinking of her constantly and wishing she would act nice and loving to you again. You got your wish last night after the April Fools dance. She let you walk her home…but then you took a detour back to your house." Gerald's quirked mouth almost went into a smile at the idea of his man being that shrewd with a girl, whether he had meant to be or not. "You ate some ice cream on the couch. She said she loved you again. You kissed her. She dove at you. You both ended up giggling and making out with her on top of you until you fell asleep together. You both slept that way…and then woke up this morning in each other's arms…ate some breakfast and talked more. Then you met up at Slausens and pretty much talked about _everything_. Then she kissed you in an alley and then you asked her out on a date. And now you're just petrified of screwing it up. And now here we are." Gerald let out a deep breath and looked over at Arnold. "Is that all, man?"

For this entire lengthy summarization, Arnold had just been sitting next to Gerald on the couch and looking at him with a plain face and big eyes…and also his mouth slightly stuffed full of pizza. Our football headed hero really had been sort of a nervous and embarrassed wreck while explaining all of that stuff to Gerald in the first place, and then having to hear it explained back to him by his best friend just now hadn't exactly helped to ease matters, so by now Arnold was kind of unconsciously cramming down his third slice while Gerald's first one still sat cold in his lap, the tall haired boy's shock at this whole 'whirlwind romance with Helga G. Pataki' thing far outweighing any hunger he might have for tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese.

Now, though, upon Gerald addressing him, the football headed boy swallowed down the final big piece of pizza crust from his once-again-empty plate and gave his friend a small nod in response to his question, a light blush upon his cheeks. "Um…yeah…that's pretty much all of it." Arnold shrugged a little and then actually smiled sheepishly and added, "Pretty, uh…crazy turn of events, huh? Helga…actually in love with me…a-and me…sort of…being into her too now that she brought up the concept…Heh…" He shrugged a little again and nervously looked forward toward the pizza box on the coffee table. "Uh, heh…do we really still have that much pizza left?" He reached forward to get a fourth slice, just wanting something to occupy his hands and mouth and attention from the twitching nervousness running throughout his body and mind in response to this unprecedented romantic predicament into which he had gotten himself.

Gerald blinked at his best friend's reply at also at the sight of Arnold going for the box (again). Quickly the tall-haired boy reached out and pulled Arnold's eager hand away from its greasy goal. "Whoa, whoa, man…Ease up! You're so nervous you've almost eaten half the pie already, and you want to make sure to have enough room for eating tonight with Helga on your date, right?"

Arnold blinked at these words of reason and then instantly, and with quite a bit of embarrassment in his eyes, pulled his own arm back to his side as Gerald released it. "O-Oh, uh, yeah…heh…Almost forgot. Eating with her. I don't just have to entertain her while she's here tonight, I also have to feed her, don't I?" He gulped and put his hands into his lap, twiddling and wringing his fingers a little, looking so nervous. '_It's Saturday night…It's Saturday night and I have a date and I've kissed a girl and I'm thinking about being in love. What is WRONG with me? What sane kid gets himself into these kind of things…?'_ A voice at the back of his head whispered something about Helga also getting herself into just this kind of thing…and maybe that was more of a sign that they really were 'destined to be!' Arnold hid from the whispered thought entirely though, in the interest of not passing out from the very notion of it all, and how much it reminded him that he wasn't just dealing with a crush (at least on her end) here…He was dealing with love. Love.

Gerald, meanwhile, NOT on the verge of a self-induced nervous breakdown like SOME certain fourth grade boys in this room (and well aware of this fact), just smiled at his buddy and tried not to laugh as he replied to Arnold's nervous little observation about having to not just manage to successfully entertain but to feed Helga as well. "Exactly, man! An activity, dinner…all part of the date package! Heh, and besides…" he gave him a friendly smirk and even a tiny elbow nudge, "…you don't want to have pizza breath for kissing her tonight, do you, Casanova?"

Arnold's eyes flew open wide and his breath hitched sharply and audibly in his throat and he stood straight up from the couch and his jaw even fell a little! "Gerald! I…I…" he squeaked out!

Gerald just chuckled a tiny bit and shrugged, waving him off. "Aw, calm down, man—it was a joke! Just having a little fun with you."

"Gerald!" Arnold went on though with a terrified shake of his head, obviously oblivious to what his best friend had just said (and obviously more terrified about something specific than angry at Gerald)… "I never even thought about that!" Instantly he had his hand cupped in front of his mouth and he breathed against it and sniffed it a little. His eyes went even wider. "Oh no, it really does smell like pizza! Last night it smelled like ice cream and that's sweet and cool and it was just like her own breath so it was okay, but I can't kiss her with my mouth tasting and smelling like garlic and grease and sauce! I have to brush my teeth!" He pulled his pocket watch out of his shirt pocket and checked the time. "It's 2. Four hours until our date. If I start brushing now and use a lot of mouth wash and eat a box of breath mints maybe I can get all the pizza out of my breath!" Instantly he was really about to run up the stairs like a shot! 'I'm lucky enough an interesting girl like her fell for me, let alone kisses me…I need to make the experience as perfect as possible!' An image flashed through his mind of a smiling Helga closing her eyes and putting her lips to his, only to pull back in disgust and with an upturned nose and an announcement of '_Yuck! You taste terrible, Football Head! Sheesh, what kind of guy doesn't kiss his girlfriend with a clean mouth?'_ He banished the image._ 'No, it's okay, it'll be minty and cool and fresh and clean…It'll be perfect for her…And—'_ "Whoa!"

Arnold almost tripped and he suddenly realized that it was because as he had been about to plow forward to run upstairs to the bathroom, Gerald had stood up from the couch and grabbed onto one of his shirttails to hold him back. "Hey, hey, easy there, man…" Gerald spoke with a lot more concern in his voice this time around. "Remember, this pizza/ 'guys only' time right now is supposed to help you RELAX about your date tonight, not _work you up about it_ _even more_! Now calm down…you do NOT need four hours to sanitize your mouth for her. Now just take a breath…and turn around and look at me, okay, man?"

Arnold did take in a breath and let out a breath…He cringed a little at the realization that he had just indeed gotten seriously carried away about how his mouth would be for kissing Helga tonight (and he also felt a little presumptuous all of a sudden for assuming automatically that there would indeed be more kissing). And then with a small nod Arnold turned around to face his best friend, looking extra sheepish and extra in need of some help and perspective on all of this. And he really had been yo-yoing so much lately between finding Helga's love just pleasantly charming and finding it to be the most nerve-wracking thing in his entire existence.

Gerald just stood there before him, looking seriously into Arnold's eyes. Then the tall haired boy reached out and put his hands on his best friend's shoulders. And then he smiled supportively and spoke in a calm, level, soothing tone. "Okay, that's better. Now, here's what's gonna happen. We are going to spend the next two hours watching a monster movie. No talk of girls, no girls allowed, nothing involving females whatsoever! Then, when that's done, during the last two hours before your date tonight, we'll just run a brush through your hair, straighten your clothes a little, you can brush your teeth but no more than twice (it's not going to help kissing her if your gums are bleeding from being brushed raw), and also I'll let you use mouthwash and breath mints as you want if it'll make you feel better. Then we'll go over some potential dinner/date activities for when she gets here—just simple, basic things. And then you'll leave here at 5:30, swing by Mrs. Vitello's and pick her up a little bouquet, and then show up at Helga's door by 6 o'clock with a smile on your face and ready to woo her. And Arnold…just for the record…if she's as in love with you as you say she is…I think as long as you calm down and act like yourself tonight, this date'll be FINE. Now, if you understood everything I just said, please nod." Gerald smiled a little more, actually trying not to chuckle about having to put his friend through such an intense pep talk in the first place. '_Mmm mmm mmm…The boy's a goner, isn't he? And this time around __the girl__ digs __him__ too…_' He almost had to sigh and shake his head. _'I'm going to be the best man at the wedding and it is going to be insane, isn't it?_' Arnold and Helga: it was unbelievable and yet…a strangely cute idea at the same time, if you thought about it a little.

Anyway, in response to Gerald's little pep talk…

Arnold just let out a sigh at first…It was a very deep sigh. One that had been building up for the last seven days actually…and arguably, in ways, for the last seven years. And then after that sigh he genuinely smiled a little himself for the first time (in a relaxed manner, that was) in a while…and then he looked back into his best friend's eyes and nodded. "I understand…" his voice was his old normal, calm, sincere, sensible one, once again… "And thanks, Gerald," he added, "I needed that, I think. And, um…" a bit of a sheepish look came to his face again, though none of the hysterics seemed threatening to return for now, "If I get hysterical or anything again about all of this, feel free to smack me or toss some water on me or something. It keeps being really hard to snap myself out of being like that once something makes me fall into it, you know?"

Gerald just chuckled and nodded and winked, happy to have the old Arnold back. "You got it, man!" His grin then grew and he removed his hands from Arnold's shoulders and crossed them over his chest. "So…monster movie now? You can pick which one…"

Arnold's grin grew as well. He nodded. "Okay. I'll pick and you get us some sodas from the kitchen."

Gerald nodded in return. "Sounds good to me. And no talk of girls until the movie's over, right?" A still grinning Gerald raised an eyebrow at Arnold.

Arnold shrugged and raised an eyebrow right back at him. "What's a girl?"

Gerald full on laughed. "Exactly!" He winked once more and then went off to the kitchen while Arnold went over to the TV to select their movie, the whole time doing his best to think only of gory monsters rather than smiling girls…or rather one girl in particular...for the next two hours, at least.

* * *

"Phoebe, I…I don't know about this…I mean, I want to show him that I can be girly and loving and sensitive but…I still wanna be myself. And besides, remember, I've tried the whole 'girly makeover for the sake of girly-ness' thing with Rhonda's sleepover that one time? It really didn't work out. And then there was my failed attempt at acting like Lila at Rhonda's costume party so that he would 'like me like me' instead of just like me…Another bomb basically. Phoebe, this is it—this is the _big time_! This is my shot with him! A real, genuine, mutual date! But I don't want to taint it by winning his heart through deceit. There's been enough lies between us. I just…want to show him what's really inside of me…the soft and loving piece of me that I've been hiding…but on a long term scale."

Helga Geraldine Pataki, after delivering this little heart felt speech, just let out a deep sigh and collapsed back on her bed in her pink room…and she was surrounding by Pre-Teen girly magazines and make-up bags of cheap nail polish and blush and mascara and lip gloss, and, on top of that, Helga's pink bridesmaid dress from Coach Wittenberg and Trish's wedding was even laid out on the covers along with a pair of pink heels.

Phoebe Heyerdahl took a seat on the edge of her best friend's bed beside her prostrate form, and gave an understanding nod and a smile. "Yes, I quite agree, Helga. And I'm happy you're being that wise about how to handle this evening with Arnold." The quiet, petite girl's smile picked up on one side a little as she then added in a quiet yet somewhat matter-of-fact voice, though of course modestly, "Actually, I mostly brought over the magazines and borrowed the make-up from Rhonda and suggested the bridesmaid dress to you because, well…when you said to me over the phone that you wanted to show Arnold your more feminine and loving side I thought that perhaps this might turn into another one of those instances when you would…" she reach up and moved her glasses to clean then absentmindedly on her sweater, "…sort of have to put yourself through something a bit drastic and unnecessary to realize once more that being yourself with 'ice cream' and letting him like your own real 'flavor' just as much as you like his really is what's best. So I was just…preparing to help out with another potential life lesson of yours regarding Arnold, Helga." She replaced her glasses on her face and then looked to Helga's form with a smile.

Meanwhile, this revelation from Phoebe processed and then Helga's eyes instantly _flew_ open and then she blinked and then sat up on her bed, and looked at Phoebe in surprise and confusion. Her jaw fell open. "Uh…I…but…then…" was all she could stammer at first. She blinked several more times…but then, the first shock ebbing and her friend's point sinking in, Helga just let out a breath and shook her head at the dark-haired girl and smiled. "Phoebe…" she crossed her arms over her chest, grinning at her a little, "Have I mentioned lately how grateful I am to you for putting up with all of my nutty schemes and with the fact that I've always insisted on doing everything the hard way over all these years?"

Phoebe just chuckled, grinning back at her. "Dooitashimashite, Helga. You're welcome. What are best friends for?"

Helga gave a small chuckle as well and rolled her eyes to the side. "Beats the heck out of me. But yeah, yeah, I appreciate it, now quit getting all mushy on me, Pheebs, and lets move on." Helga let out a sigh and glanced over at her alarm clock near her bed, then stretched up a little and then turned her sights back to Phoebe. "Well, it's about three o'clock. Now that we've gotten down to the nitty-gritty fact that I'm finally mature enough to not even _want_ to try being another person for Arnold, and just want to show him the softer side of myself that I keep hidden within me…guess we should put all of this junk away and figure out what I _really_ need to make tonight magical, huh?" She shrugged a little.

Phoebe nodded, and really felt just so very grateful inside that her best friend was going to be handling this romantic opportunity in such a mature way, and right off the bat, no less! "Putting away!" she eagerly squeaked, and then she stood up and grabbed Helga's bridesmaid dress and her shoes first and walked them over to her closet.

"Okay. Thanks, Pheebs. And, hey, I'll take care of all this make-up junk…" Helga offered, turning to the mass of stuff all laid out on her bed. She almost had to laugh and shake her head at the sight of it all. She grabbed one of the make-up bags it had all come out of, and commenced putting things away, starting with the most extreme stuff—anything infused with glitter and/or that was a color so bright and obnoxious that it practically hurt her eyes to look at it. '_Ugh, the only sane person who would use most of this stuff is a circus clown!' _These items were packed up safely after a few seconds, and then Helga began to move on to putting away some of the more tame stuff in a second make-up bag.

As she was handling some this 'more tame stuff' though…she paused at some of it a little…just to look at it, of course…and only just if something there happened to catch her eye...

"Helga, I've finished putting away your dress and shoes. Do you need any assistance with putting away Rhonda's cosmetics?"

Phoebe's voice asking this question brightly made Helga blink and drop some of the stuff she had been looking at. "Oh, uh…" Helga turned to her best friend and swallowed and rubbed the back of her neck. "N-No, no, I've…got it, Pheebs…heh…"

Phoebe looked at her curiously for a moment. But then the young dark-haired girl carefully observed the situation a little more. And then a small smile came to her face. She looked at her best friend understandingly and added softly and unassumingly… "Unless…you maybe wanted to try using a tiny bit of some of these items, Helga…just because you want to for yourself, of course, as a small experiment, and not to impress anyone else," she tacked on meaningfully.

Helga blushed a little and glanced down and gave a sheepish shrug. "Well…I…I-I mean, I don't want to do anything extreme for tonight, like I said, but…maybe some lip balm with a nice flavor to it wouldn't kill me, and…I don't know, maybe we could do something small with my hair…and…" a little frustrated sigh escaped her as she suddenly admitted, "…and I _might_ be willing to at least _try_ painting my nails…but NO fake nails, NO obnoxious colors, NO scratch-and-sniff, glow-in-the-dark, neon flashing nail polish crap…Just something pale and pink…Just to try it…B-But that's all! The mascara, the lipstick, the blush—none of that at ALL, okay, I LIKE my face the way it is!" She crossed her arms over her chest and looked away with a stubborn little scowl as she added, "And even though I'm willing to put on the polish, if I don't feel right and like myself after it's all over then I'm taking it all out and off because I'm Helga G. Pataki and if Arnold's gonna fall in love with me it's gonna be with ME and not some fantasy chick I make myself act like for him! Hmph!"

Phoebe knew that Helga always wanted to be taken seriously and to never lose face, even, a lot of times, when it was just the two of them in private away from the other kids, but still the young dark haired girl couldn't help but smile and give a small giggle under her breath at her friend's way of admitting that she wouldn't mind just primping a tiny bit for her first official planned date with Arnold. She got it under control though and then just let out a sigh and nodded, knowing the best way to go along with this after seven years of practice. "Alright, Helga. We've got time—so, like you said, we can try a few things and if you like them we'll leave them and if you don't like them we'll remove them. Whatever you want to do, Helga. Besides…" Phoebe's tone went a tiny bit more meaningful, as did her smile, "I believe that if you were to try and act very stereotypically unfeminine for Arnold just because you're worried about getting carried away like with Rhonda's slumber party and costume party, it would be just as faulty a decision as trying to act very stereotypically feminine for him, Helga. It's better that you just be however you feel like being whenever you feel like it…You have a chance to just be you this time, and it's so good you want to take it. And, since you really are a lovely person, Helga, I'm sure Arnold would adore an evening of getting to see and know all the parts of who you really are deep down inside."

For a moment Helga still remained glancing down sheepishly and with a scowl at some of the cosmetic items on the bed.

A blush came into her features pretty quickly though.

And then she glanced to her best friend's eyes, her face softening a little. "Um…th-thanks, Phoebe…" And then suddenly the young blonde lurched forward and gave her best friend a quick, tight little hug!

Phoebe blinked in surprise at the action but the hug was gone in an instant and Helga was just sitting back in her former place on the bed, still blushing and just looking very shy. "S-Sorry," the young blonde quickly explained "A-Arnold's got me all…t-touchy feely lately…I-I'm hoping it'll pass before I become a COMPLETE sap all the time, heh…And, um…thanks again…" Helga smiled more to herself, so very appreciatively. She even swung her legs a little as they hung off the edge of the bed. "Maybe he really will love me…" she mused quietly in a small, hopeful voice.

Phoebe smiled so much at her friend's touch of confidence and her sudden new affectionate streak, and then she nodded her head and put a hand on Helga's shoulder, causing her best friend to look over at her. "I believe so with all of my heart that he will, Helga. Now…" Phoebe removed her hand and gestured down to some of the cosmetic stuff still remaining on the bed on the bed. "Why don't you pick out a nail polish color you like and I'll do your nails for you, Helga…as long as that's okay?" she tacked on shyly.

Helga chuckled at the idea and nodded eagerly. "Of course, Pheebs. That actually sounds nice—getting my nails done."

Phoebe's smile brightened. "Okay then, Helga. Oh, but, before we start, just so they don't get messed up, did you want to select a different outfit for this evening at all? I know we decided the bridesmaid dress is too much, of course, but if there's anything else you would like to consider it might be better to change into it before your nails become wet." She looked at her friend, awaiting whatever sensible response she might give.

Helga just smiled and shook her head at Phoebe. "Nah, Pheebs, forget 'dressing up' or whatever—this isn't the 'prom', it's just us hanging out at his house. I think I'm just gonna go with my usual pink jumper. I don't want to turn this into some big, pressured affair—I just want it to be simple." She shrugged. "And besides, I'm comfortable like this—if Arnold wants some girl who's gonna buy a new dress for every time she sees him or something then, well…he'll just have to deal with the fact that that's not me…Although I honestly don't think he'd be that demanding. But anyway, yeah, I'll stick with this—tonight should be classic Helga G. Pataki with just a few extra personally approved frills and nothing more, don't you agree, Pheebs?" She winked.

Phoebe smiled and nodded. "Agreeing!" She chuckled.

Helga chuckled as well and then turned her sights to the bed still half strewn with cosmetic stuff (the tamer stuff, as stated.) "Alright, well, now that my 'ensemble' has been decided upon, let me find a nail polish color that's bearable to me…" She searched a little and then snagged a modest, pale-pink-color-filled little round glass vial with a white, long, cylindrical top. "Eh, let's give this one a shot." She tossed it to Phoebe, who caught it, and then Helga spread out the fingers of one of her hands and held it forward for Phoebe to take. Helga's best friend eagerly responded by opening the polish bottle, and holding it in one hand while she used the other hand to start brushing the color onto Helga's nails.

This went on for a few more seconds and then Helga asked, the thought occurring to her, "Hey Phoebe…how did you get this junk from Rhonda without arousing suspicion, anyway?"

Phoebe blinked (though her steady polishing continued) and then she blushed a tiny bit. "Oh…well, um…I told her I needed it for myself…for a date I had with, um…s-someone…"

Helga blinked and looked at her best friend curiously. "Really? Heh, not a bad story, Pheebs…And wow she actually let you get out of there without putting you through the Spanish inquisition to get a name out of you?"

Phoebe swallowed and shrugged and smiled a little…still blushing, and still painting. "I…told her a name, Helga."

Helga looked very intrigued now. "Really? Who's?"

Phoebe took a breath, hesitated for just a moment, but then said it (knowing it had to be said sooner or later…and especially as she also kind of had to inform her best friend about certain things that a certain party besides she (Phoebe), Helga and Arnold might be aware of.) "Gerald." Phoebe waited for the response, recalling at the back of her mind Helga's teasing last weekend about Gerald offering her a ride home from the Slausens surprise party.

Helga blinked at first…and then she grinned _very_ widely. "You are _so_ into him, aren't you, Phoebe? Crimeny, one ride home from my birthday party and one date to an April Fools dance and you're hooked. You HAVE to let me know how long this has been going on behind my and Arnold's backs! Oh and hey, after we gussy up ME maybe_ I_ could gussy _you_ one night to repay the favor, and then we really could get you a date with Geraldo?" She grinned and then added, feigning some smugness, "I'm in with Arnold now, you know, so I can pull some strings…" She winked.

Phoebe just chuckled and then cleared her throat a tiny bit, still painting away, and shook her head with her small little smile. "That won't be necessary, Helga…"

A tiny bit of a frown came to Helga's face. "Aw, but Phoebe…come on! Don't be a basketcase like me and wait seven years before making a move! Don't you even want to try getting a real date with him…?"

Phoebe let out a little sigh, still not making eye contact with Helga…still blushing…still smiling…still painting away as casually as could be. "Helga…what I meant was…it won't be necessary for you to help me…as I have every intention of working out a date for myself and Gerald all on my own in very due time."

There was a moment of silence during which Phoebe just continued to paint Helga's nails, and Helga's jaw dropped completely.

But then young blonde's eyes lit up and she smiled widely and chuckled a little in pride! "Alright, Pheebs! I knew you had it in you!" She swung her free hand through the air! "And hey maybe if everything works out in both of our love lives, we can all double together sometime? And you know, _not_ like that 'dinner for four' fiasco at Chez Paris but an actual, sane, 'non law breaking' double date!" She laughed a little more at the fun idea.

Phoebe laughed as well and nodded, making eye contact with her again. "I would like that, Helga…"

Both girls smiled at each other and then eventually turned their smiles and sights back to Helga's nails.

The nail painting continued for a few more moments. Phoebe switched hands.

Then Phoebe spoke up again…this time much more quietly than any time before. "Um…Helga?"

Helga nodded, her eyes still on her nails as she analyzed her real feelings about whether or not she liked them painted. She was still a little on the fence, but overall she wasn't finding this experience or the result of it _too_ bad or anything. "Yeah, Pheebs?"

Phoebe let out a sigh, hoping Helga would take this well. She continued painting. "Well…you remember how earlier when I got here and we were talking about all of the recent events with you and Arnold, I mentioned that I had seen you both in the pool at school the other night, and that was part of why I wasn't very surprised about you and Arnold now having a date together tonight…or that things had gotten so 'intense' for you both last night, for that matter?"

Helga nodded, still mostly looking at her nails to think about them, still with an average smile on her face and tone in her voice. "Sure, Pheebs. What about it?"

Phoebe let out another little breath and then just said it. "Gerald was with me when I saw you and Arnold, Helga…Actually he was the one who saw the two of you first and then he called me over to see it. He then brought up how last weekend, when he questioned me about you and Arnold remaining behind at Slausens after your party, I expressed to him that there was a certain bond between the two of you but that I didn't consider it fair of me to tell him specifics about it. And then he asked me if it counted if he figured things out on his own and that's when he showed me you two in the pool last night. So…he really does know, Helga…about you and Arnold…more or less. But I don't believe he would tell anyone of course though…if not for your sake then for Arnold's and certainly for mine. Anyway, I just wanted you to have that information, Helga."

Phoebe waited for a response.

Her ears were just met with silence though.

She stopped painting Helga's nails for a moment and looked up to her best friend's face.

Helga's eyes were wide and she was blushing and not moving or saying anything.

"Helga?" Phoebe prompted cautiously.

Helga blinked once at her name, took in a breath and seemed to consider for a moment…and then she just released everything and closed her eyes for a second, shaking her head. "Crimeny…" she spoke to herself…let out a deep sigh…and then smiled to herself and said quietly, almost amusingly, "Well…at least this gets rid of any awkward fabricated tales or introductions I'd have to make to him during that double date I talked about, right?" She actually looked up at Phoebe and chuckled a little.

Phoebe blinked at first in a bit of surprise at this particular calm reaction on Helga's part. She waited just a moment to make sure her friend wasn't just being sarcastic and about to now fly off into a frustrated and panicky rant about the dangers of Gerald knowing her feelings for Arnold! But a few seconds of looking at Helga's calm, amused eyes told Phoebe that her best friend really was seriously…okay with everything. And that fact made Phoebe smile once more, and she gave a small chuckle herself and nodded at her best friend. "Yes, I suppose you're right, Helga. At least you won't have to tell Gerald yourself now. But…" her smile went a bit more serious for just a second…She just wanted to confirm that Helga really wouldn't be worrying about Gerald knowing, out loud or in private, "You really are okay about Gerald knowing about 'ice cream' now too?"

Helga just shrugged at the question though, still smiling. And in truth…she really wasn't feeling too weird about the whole thing at all. "Well, can't change the past…not that I would change anything about last night with Arnold at all even if I had the chance, and that includes the stuff in the pool…And besides, now that Arnold knows and he's okay with it and actually likes it…and likes me…I…I don't know…tall hair boy finding out just doesn't bug me as much as it might have before, you know?" She smiled more. "I mean, I know I'm afraid of the other kids teasing me if they ever find out how I feel but my biggest fear over the years, even bigger than that one, was always Arnold finding out and just hating me for torturing him because I loved him. But we're clear of that now so…just Geraldo finding out…and being sworn to secrecy by you…eh, why the heck not?" She shrugged. "Besides, at least it'll give Football Head someone to talk to about all of this if he needs it." That being all said, she now let out a breath and held up her finished hand (which had dried by this point) to examine it for another moment. Then she nodded, having come to a decision. "Okay…I can deal with this whole 'painted nails' thing…They actually look a little…nice. And it doesn't feel too weird or anything. I think I'll just keep it for the date tonight though and then get rid of it for baseball practice on Monday—it'll bug me too much with all the chipping it'll probably do with how hard I play. But still, not bad for just tonight." She glanced at Phoebe with a grin and then she proffered her still unfinished other hand forward to her best friend. "Not get to finishing up my other hand so we can get a move on with the rest of the stuff I have to get ready and prepare for before Arnold shows up here at six! Chop chop!" The command sounded sarcastic but it was said more jokingly than anything else of course.

Phoebe smiled, happy both that her best friend was genuinely enjoying doing a little something special for herself for once and also at the fact that she hadn't fallen into some kind of spiraling panic about Gerald knowing. And so with a nod, "Finishing!" Phoebe said this single word and then proceeded to finish painting the nails of the rest of Helga's second hand before they would get to anything else that needed to be handled tonight for her big date with Arnold.

* * *

It was a quarter to six o'clock in the evening, and Arnold had just walked out of Mrs. Vitello's flower shop with a small and…rather 'varied'…bouquet in one of his hands…And now he was finally on his way to the house of Helga G. Pataki to pick her up for their date…their first 'official' date together.

The seriousness of this impending event flashed through his mind once more, and Arnold took a moment to close his eyes and let out a breath as he continued on his slow little walk the block and a half left to Helga's house (and all the while he was holding his little bouquet for her very carefully out in front of himself with a very stiff arm in total fear of anything happening to it). Done centering himself with his breath, Arnold opened his eyes again and went over some things to himself one more time just to really make sure he could go into this evening as calm and cool and collected as he wanted to be.

"Okay…" he spoke quietly to himself, "There is really nothing to worry about. Like Gerald pointed out, she's already in love with you…it would probably take A LOT to get her to stop loving you…so if you're just nice and honest and open with her, things should go great." He gave a little nod to himself, and then added, just to make himself feel better as he crossed the street to start walking up the final block to Helga's house, "And, just to break the ice and make sure we get off on the right track…you have some flowers for her," his eyes went to the little bouquet in his hand and then went back to looking down and forward, "…and you fixed yourself up kind of okay…" Arnold had brushed his unruly tufts of blond hair so that they fell back at the top just a tiny bit—just a little something to show that he was very serious about seeing this as a big event. As for Arnold's ensemble for the night, it was his usual attire…except he, at the last minute, had added a small, red and yellow plaid bow tie to his outfit...He just…wanted to look presentable and good, especially for a girl who had spent last night on his living room couch covering him in place of a blanket!

Arnold blushed a lot at the memory as he passed the half way point of Helga's block now (his steps becoming increasingly more hesitant at this point, and also a thin line of sweat could be seem forming on his brow). He instantly shook his head quickly back and forth, trying to break away from getting lost in reminiscing about that…that…unforgettable evening of romance they had spent together. '_No, no, no, just…don't think about what you guys did last night! It'll only make you more nervous! Just…think about all the calm, good times with her. The smiles and the jokes, pranking each other in the pool, having that little eating contest with breakfast this morning…_' All of these concepts instantly went right to his heart and took it from having electrical palpitations of nervousness and excitement to just emitting deep, warm flutters of affection and adoration instead. He let out a sigh and smiled a little dreamily, feeling much more content and much more in control in a state such as this.

He spoke to himself a little more as Helga's house came into view now. "Anyway, you've got the flowers and the look…a-and to get rid of the pizza taste you went and brushed your teeth twice and gargled with half a bottle of mouth wash and ate every mint you had on you…and that Gerald had on him…" He blushed a little sheepishly at this strategy of his, but let his thoughts plow on and away from the blush worthy, as he knew he had to wrap up this little pep talk to himself. "Now you'll just take her back to your house for the evening and you'll feed her and find something fun to do together…and then she'll be happy…and that'll make me happy…a-and then, um…maybe…there could be kisses i-if she wants…kisses and more of her 'I love yous'…." He blushed and smiled so much to himself, letting his heart have just a tiny bit of fun with that electrical feeling from before… He did not know if he loved Helga…but he did know that he really really really loved experiencing her loving him. What a beautiful side to herself that she had hidden so long in shyness and fear…and that he would help her not to hide any longer, if she would let him…

Arnold walked a few steps more forward.

And now he was in front of the stoop of the house of Helga G. Pataki.

Arnold took in a deep breath and let out a deep breath, looking at the slightly intimidating door. For a moment, he recalled last week when he had shown up here to rouse Helga for her surprise birthday party. Even then he had felt somewhat…intimidated by that door. Like behind it was something so big and unavoidable that it might consume him if he faced it…and yet at the same time there was a feeling of wanting to face it, wanting to let it drench him and soak him in all that it was, wanting…so much…And there was certainly 'so much' behind that door…

And now he was going to get it.

He sighed, shook his head from these thoughts and then, with a slight clearing of his throat and an adjusting of his bowtie (and double checking on the bouquet, still held out straight in front of himself, once more), he walked slowly up the stoop to its top, reached out…and knocked briskly on the door.

_KNOCK, KNOCK_

Exactly ten seconds passed.

Then the door opened.

* * *

_One minute ago._

Helga G. Pataki looked at the clock on the wall of the foyer right by her front door. '_5:59…Okay, only one minute to go_…' She double-checked that her nails looked alright, which they did—none of the polish had smudged or chipped. And it pleased Helga to note that the color she had chosen was pale and sheer enough not to scream its presence but yet apparent enough to still come off as a nice extra detail as part of how she looked. She had also put on just a little bit of cherry flavored lip balm—nothing unnatural looking or messy, just a little something to keep her lips soft and 'approachable' should any situation involving them come up this evening. In addition to her nails and lips, Helga's hair was also brushed out and down, her familiar pink bow nestled happily upon her head. Her attire was her usual one, of course (except that at the last minute, with her nails finally being totally dry and the change not being a complicated one, she had changed into the newest and crispest and cleanest pink jumper and white shirt she owned—just an extra touch on her part).

And so anyway now it was 5:59 p.m.…and in one minute an event would start that might seriously determine the course of her life…her romantic life at least…forever.

As the seconds of this minute ticked by on the clock overhead though another thought suddenly occurred to Helga that made her gulp and go just a little pale. '_Wh-What if he's late?' _Oh she couldn't even think of the idea! All the tension of waiting for it to be 6 p.m. had practically driven her mad today! But to have to wait another five, ten, fifteen…maybe even TWENTY minutes and all because possibly he wasn't taking this date thing as seriously as she was or because maybe he wanted to try being 'fashionably late' or something…Oh it was UNBEARBALE! She felt herself scowl and felt one of her sudden urges to pound Arnold for something like that come over her…though she knew in an instant, as she had always known, that one look from those jelly bean green eyes of his, one word from those soft, strong little lips of his, one touch of his warm, lithe skin to hers and she would instantly switch to her true desire of showering him with kisses.

Her anger was cooled, replaced by love as the thought finished…But then…she went pale again at another thought…a much worse one than him being late…

'_What if he doesn't show up? What if he…ditches me?'_

Okay, she knew that was SO very unlikely! Arnold obviously liked her a lot (if last night and this morning and this afternoon had been any indications), on top of which he was too good-natured a person to ever be cruel enough to ditch someone. No, no, he wouldn't ditch her…

But still, until he showed up at her stoop, the fear of it would be lingering…and the heartache it would bring would be threatening her…Standing near this door for hours, waiting and waiting and…him never coming…If that happened…she would just run up to her room and let herself crumble for the rest of the night, until the next day at school when she would barely drag herself out of bed to get there and then promise herself over and over, no matter the temptation, to never to speak to him nor look at him nor think on him again.

The second hand hit its apex.

It was now officially 6 o'clock.

_KNOCK, KNOCK_

Helga practically jumped and her heart almost flew out of her chest! She smiled so much!

She was about to eagerly rip open the door but…she had promised herself earlier, as a sign of not coming off as a total desperate loon, to count to ten before answering it after she heard his knock (not wanting Arnold to think that she really had been waiting by the door for the last fifteen minutes, as she had indeed been doing.)

'_One…two…three…'_

* * *

_Seven seconds from that point with Helga…aka the point at which the door opened for Arnold who was still out upon her stoop…._

Arnold held his little breath in his little lungs, his big green eyes didn't blink, his arm was stiff and still holding out the flowers, though some instinct in him made him suddenly hide them behind his back just before the door finished opening.

Helga appeared before him.

And then Arnold's eyes went extra wide and he gulped.

Perhaps it was the whole 'I have a crush on her' thing…maybe that was…not so much 'clouding his judgment' as 'softening his eye' a little…and maybe part of it was the sun shifting from its afternoon glow to its evening one, lending peach shadows to cream colored flesh…and maybe part of it was that he HAD spent the better part of last night kissing a certain someone in the most intimate experience he had ever had with another person…and part of it might have also been the fact that he was just still getting used to seeing her smile…And part of it was just Helga too of course.

But whatever it all was, the point was…though she still looked so much like all the thousands of times over their lives when he had seen her…Arnold thought Helga looked prettier than ever right here and right now.

Her hair, long, shiny, thin yet bouncy, falling around her shoulders and down her back, cute little ribbon atop her head…Her jumper somehow just looking extra white and pink, almost sparkling…And she was looking down a little, holding her hands in front of herself, and a little smile was on her lips, which looked somehow…softer than the last time he had beheld them this afternoon.

Arnold felt his heart starting to pound. All the nervousness from earlier was coming back to him. This was really happening and Helga was really pretty and he really liked her…oh he hoped and hoped and hoped that she would really like him!

Arnold really didn't know what to say to her now, his head and heart being so bogged down with so many new feelings…

Luckily though Helga spoke first, using a joke to break the ice (nothing sarcastic or biting or crude though…just a softly delivered observation, the smile never leaving her lips.) Her gaze was still downward as she spoke. "Well, um…six on the dot. E-Either you're really eager to get this over with…or you're really eager for it to start, Football Head." She ended with a small giggle. "I wonder which one it is…"

Her voice got Arnold to blink and made air fill his lungs once again, and now he spoke too. "I…um…_The second one!"_ He blushed quite a bit and looked down sheepishly, and the sound of her giggling again didn't make matters any easier. He let out a deep mental sigh to himself.

"Hmm…eager for it to start, huh? Well, that's nice to know…" Helga, feeling…so much better now that he was here and obviously wanting to be here, finally let out a breath she had been holding and brought her eyes up to look at him.

Her eyes then went wide and her jaw fell and she colored quite distinctly!

His hair was a little styled and he had a little bow tie on and he looked just…like this was the most important night of his young little life.

She watched as her strange look at Arnold made him look at her strangely as well. "What?" he asked, almost nervously.

She swallowed and blushed a tiny bit more. "Uh…" she half smiled a little, "Nothing just…you look…you know, handsome…like, um…even more so than usual…sort of 'extra handsome', heh…A-And, um, the bowtie's cute…" Her eyes went a little half lidded and she giggled again.

Arnold just blinked a lot of times and blushed fully. "O-Oh!" his voice cracked and he swallowed and cleared his throat and tried to speak more deeply. "I-I mean, um, oh…thanks…I-I just wanted to, um…dress up a little…Do you really think I'm extra handsome?" He looked at her with a smile that said that no one had ever tried to make an observation like that about him before…but that he was sort of taking to this 'first time' of it.

Helga just nodded and smiled more at him. "Yeah…" she sighed out, affirming her opinion of him yet again, "I really do…" A touch of something dreamy went into her gaze.

Arnold's smile instantly brightened at these words and that look from her, and a pleasant sigh escaped him. '_She…thinks I'm extra handsome today_….' Okay he definitely felt more confident about this evening working out. He almost felt rather proud of himself actually for being able to impress her a little with how he looked.

Arnold heard Helga then giggle to herself a little more (probably at him zoning out a little right now in his pride), and the sound instantly made him blink and reminded him of a bunch of things! "Oh and, um…you look beautiful!" he quickly assured her, realizing his delay in letting her know and almost cringing at having accidentally waited so long to tell her. "I love your hair like that, Helga, and there's just…something else about you tonight too…" He smiled a little more and added, the thought occurring to him, "You're smiling…that probably adds something to it all. I really like when you smile…" His own gaze took on a touch of something dreamy this time.

Helga blinked, still so…in awe at the idea of compliment from him. And he liked her smile? She just kind of smiled and blushed more and gave a little shrug. "Uh…th-thanks…" a little chuckle escaped her. "Kiss up…" She rolled her eyes to the side upon making the humorous little addition to her thank you.

A small little grin came to Arnold's mouth and then he remembered something else. "Oh, um…and…" and then he removed the bouquet from behind his back and presented it to her. "These are for you, Helga…" He smiled warmly at her.

Helga blinked and looked at the flowers perplexedly for a moment. "I…" she did her best to find her voice, "I…for...me…" she wasn't asking a question so much as just…trying to absorb the fact that Arnold had just showed up at her house for a date and had brought her flowers. And such a lovely little bouquet—so many different flowers…each and every one of them a different flower, actually.

Her heart filling with warmth and joy and love, she reached out and hesitantly took the bouquet from him, almost afraid, in a silly and superstitious part of herself, that touching it would make the 'wonderful dream' of this moment end or something. "A-Arnold, they're so…pretty…" She smiled, her hand now clasping around the stems of the bouquet as she removed it from his grasp ( '_And I didn't wake up in my bed holding onto my curtains or something instead of these flowers! Boss!'_). "And…all different kinds—they smell so nice together!" She took a little inhale of the flowers…Arnold's flowers. Their scents made her shiver inside.

Arnold smiled happily and glanced down with a touch of bashfulness and a definite amount of pride. _'Alright, new rule number one about dating for me…__Always__ get the girl flowers…' _"Um…glad you like them, Helga. A-Actually I got so many different ones because I…really wasn't sure what flower's your favorite so I just…got one of as many kinds as I could. I hope at least one of themis your favorite." His eyes looked at hers so warmly, and yet also there was a genuine hope in his those little green jelly beans of his…like right now in his ten-year-old life he wanted nothing more than to have found the right flower for her somewhere in that little bunch of them.

Helga, seeing all of this in his gaze, let out a warm sigh and smiled tenderly at him, focusing more on him than the flowers for a moment. "Arnold…my love…every single one of them is my new favorite and all because you gave them to me."

His eyes went extra wide for a moment. "R-Really, Helga?" he asked with so much sudden wonder and surprise. Such a beautiful reply from her…He had expected a little teasing about his silly strategy with the bouquet's contents, or maybe a slight scoff and an eye roll, or maybe even, if he got lucky, just a coy, pleased blush…but not such a beautiful reply. But then again…if there was one thing he had been learning about Helga G. Pataki lately, it was to expect the unexpected.

Helga just nodded and winked at him. "Yes, 'r-really', my little unsure Arnold. I love them with all of my heart…just like I love you."

She smiled sincerely at him and he smiled sincerely back at her. (And they both felt that little touch of chemistry between them once again in their lives.)

"Although…" Helga then suddenly added with a bit of a chuckle underlying her voice, now looking at the bouquet a bit more and touching the soft white petals of one of the flowers in particular…a private little smile on her face… "I will say this though…Even though I love them so much, the daisy can't help but hold a special place in my heart. After all, that was the first flower you ever gave me…" She blushed more. "Remember, Arnold? When I had amnesia and asked you about the 'little suns growing out of the ground' and you told me they were flowers and picked one for me…?" She brought her eyes to his, fluttering her eyelashes a little…not even really meaning to do that but just…so lost in her feelings for him that always seemed to be dying to burst and bubble from her now whenever she was in his presence. She was trying to keep a lid on the extreme 'ga ga' stuff just like she was trying to keep a lid on the intense 'tough-as-nails' stuff, but it really was so hard…and especially when he was right there for the taking… '_No, no_…' she reminded herself gently and calmly, '_No grabbing him up or planting one on him or anything…not just yet, at least. Just…let __him__ make a move or two for once…It'll be nice to see how comfortable he is with pushing things further with us anyway…_'

Meanwhile, at her reminder of the amnesia adventure, Arnold nodded, his smitten little smile growing at the memory, and at the fact that, thanks to some of their talking this morning, he now knew the 'whole' story of that incident. "Uh huh…" his voice was warm and full of reflection, "I remember, Helga…The little suns growing out of the ground…" He chuckled a little, his voice relaxing more and more now as these minutes were passing. "I'm happy you like the flowers and especially the daisy, Helga," he finished with satisfaction and happiness.

Helga just chuckled warmly right back at him. "And I'm happy you brought them for me. Thank you, Arnold. Now, um…just let me put these inside and then I'll be right out to join you and we can get on our way, okay?" She smiled at him and winked.

Arnold just let out a breath and nodded, seeming to come more back to a state of coherency. "Whatever you say, Helga."

She smiled more. "Thanks, Football Head. Be right back!"

She gave him a little salute, and then Helga quickly popped back into her house (and shut her front door so that Arnold wouldn't be able to see what she was doing or where she was going), raced upstairs, flung open her bedroom door, looked around for something vase like, ended up running up to her attic shrine, then coming down with an empty paint can, running into the bathroom, washing it out and filling it up with water, then running back up to her closet shrine, and then pausing, letting out a breath…and then she placed the water filled can on the floor before her Arnold shrine, and took five seconds to let out a deep swoon. "Oh little flowers…I'm going to worship you like crazy!" She giggled and then raced out of her attic, out of her closet, out of her room (shutting all doors behind her firmly of course) and then back down the stairs. She took a second to catch her breath before her front door, then straightened up and checked her hair and stuff in the mirror in her foyer, and then, satisfied with herself, she reopened her front door and popped outside once more with a smile on her face to see a still smiling and even more relaxed looking Arnold still waiting for her…him and his cute little bowtie.

She smiled, closing her front door behind her and then putting her arms behind her back. "Alright, flowers are safe…Now I guess we just have to get to walking to your house…" Something about saying that struck Helga and she blinked and realized something that, in her total monomania about making sure she didn't royally screw up this date with Arnold tonight, had completely slipped her mind. _'Three blocks…in public…the two of us looking like this…and walking together…Sure, everyone we know is probably home and eating dinner right now, but…still…_' She gulped, feeling hesitation take a small hold on her. There had probably been enough circumstantial evidence about herself and Arnold floating around for the last week between him being the one to escort her to her birthday party and then her pulling him into the back of the ice cream parlour to challenge him to an eating contest, and then them just going to the dance together in general (even despite Helga's 'he's paying me back for blinding me' cover story.) But anyway the point was that the last thing they probably needed was another piece of circumstantial evidence about them in the form of them walking together and looking all nicely spruced up.

Meanwhile, though, free from all of these cares about public exposure and mocking, Arnold just smiled and nodded at Helga…and moved a little closer to her. "Yeah, to my house we go…" He cleared his throat. Then he glanced down a little bashfully, shifted his weight on his feet a little. One of his arms moved a little and he seemed to be a little stuck on something (which he was…)

Inside of Arnold's head, now that the initial nervousness about this date starting had passed, a fresh little worry had suddenly taken hold of his mind. '_Why is it so hard to do it? Just…ask her if you can hold her hand while you walk back to your house. Or even just take her hand and start walking. You were able to do it last weekend on the walk to Slausens for her birthday party…Nothing's changed now_.' And yet, with a little blush, Arnold knew things HAD changed. Last weekend he had just been a friend wanting to comfort her and thank her in any way she might like for helping him save the neighborhood. But now he was…he…He sighed. They hadn't cemented that whole 'boyfriend/girlfriend' thing yet. But at the very least he was an 'admirer' of hers now. The little boy who had a crush on her…and who now knew the effect of his touch upon her. Sort of a gentleman caller, actually. He blushed even more at the notion.

"Arnold?"

Her voice softly and curiously saying his name made Arnold blink and brought him out of his thoughts. "Oh…um…yes?" He looked to her with wide eyes.

Helga was just looking at him with her own eyes sort of big and her head tilted to the side. She smiled a little now though at him snapping out of it and she shrugged, "Uh…penny for your thoughts, Football Head?" Yes, Helga knew, inside, that she had her own doubts and worries that probably needed sharing but she was much more concerned with any doubts and worries of Arnold's about this whole 'official date' thing. On top of which, she didn't mind gaining an extra minute of stalling by letting him talk for having to decide how to address her own little current qualm about their date.

At Helga's inquiry about what might be on his hesitant little mind right now, Arnold instantly blushed extra at the idea of actually telling her that at least part of what was currently on his mind was that he had just started thinking of himself as a gentleman caller for her. He settled on sticking to the root of the situation for now though. "Uh…well, I…um…S-Sorry I was a little zoned out there for a second, Helga. But I was just wondering, I guess…um…what th-the best way would be to see if you would hold hands with me while we walked back to my house?" He looked at her with a bright blush and a sheepish grin, unbelieving that he had actually just admitted a little insecurity like that to her_. 'Great. Why wasn't I just more confident? I could have just smiled and taken her hand and asked her smoothly to do me the honor of letting me hold it for our walk. But no, I have to admit to her that I don't even have it in me to pull off something as simple as asking a girl to hold hands!'_ He cringed a tiny bit on the inside. Though most of his basic nervousness was gone, at the back of his mind Arnold really did have this almost 'fear' that Helga was expecting (and was probably even entitled to) this strong, suave, sophisticated little gentleman who would sweep her off her feet…much like the Arnold in her dreams every night: always saying the right thing and doing the right thing and able to make her blush and say his name in happiness whenever he felt like it. _'And what do I give her instead…A confused, klutzy me who's acting like an intimidated little kid just from being within ten feet of her.'_ He let out a deep mental sigh: this was going to be a long date, wasn't it…and all because he had no skills with girls whatsoever. And also, just to put the cherry on top of the sundae of his awkwardness, he was starting to feel a little jealous of this 'dream Arnold' character, though he knew that was the silliest thing in the world.

The sound of giggling met his ears and broke him from his thoughts.

His blushing increased and his turned his eyes to Helga.

She was just smiling and still giggling a little to herself, one hand on her mouth as though trying to cover it a little. The giggling tapered off now and she blushed and shrugged, hands clasped in front of herself. She let out a sigh and looked him square in the eye. "Arnold…my beloved Arnold…" There was something so warm in her gaze and then she took a coy step forward so that she was right in front of his face (causing him to blink and gulp and blush more). "If you want to hold my hand…all you ever have to do is ask and it's yours…for walking up the street, for leading me down my stoop, for just sitting and swinging them together…" she smirked a little and added with an innocent eye roll to the side, "…in marriage…" Her eyes went back to his and she winked.

Arnold's face was all red. His eyes were all wide. His lips trembled. He was just so…befuddled for a moment…befuddled and confused and…

And then…much like last night when Helga had suddenly dived upon him on his couch and started kissing him…the sudden jolt of confusion to the point of fear currently flying through him just…went away. It just vanished as he accepted that, for crying out loud, he liked Helga like this…all romantic and sweet…and she liked being like that to him…and he liked being like that back to her…The two of them all romantic and sweet together. So if they both liked it, even if it was a little new, what was there to get all scared and worked up about? And so Arnold, in response to her 'hand in marriage' comment, just sighed and smiled and glanced down all bashfully and tried not to chuckle too much. "U-Uh…wh-whatever you say, Helga…It's your date, after all…" The corners of his mouth turned up more in a growing smile. "A-And that wasn't funny…In m-marriage…" He chuckled a little finally and also recalled some of the jokes they had made about that topic at Slausens last weekend as well as this morning.

Helga, however, in response to his response, just chuckled herself. "First of all, it was hilarious, otherwise you wouldn't be smiling this much and I wouldn't be smiling this much. And second of all..." She shook her head at him, still grinning, "Uh uh, it's OUR date, Arnold. And so just this once it's whatever WE say. And as such…" she shrugged and grinned, "You want to hold my hand…I want you to hold my hand…and I want to hold your hand too…and I'm assuming you want me to hold your hand…So let's just quit 'stalling' and 'get it over with'." She smiled and then scooped up his hand and pulled him down her stoop and then quickly started heading down her block to the corner (going at a very decent clip as Arnold had to struggle a bit to keep up). "Actually…" she added with a little smile and a shrug to herself, still facing forward, as she went along with him (and feeling very grateful that no one else from their class lived on this block but her, so at least they were safe until they reached the corner), "For future reference, I'm…pretty much always thinking about holding your hand when I'm near you, Arnold…ever since I was a little girl. But I guess I just 'kept it to myself' for a moment back there because, well…" her voice took on a sheepish quality, "…heck, we already know MY feelings about us, Arnold. I'm nuts about you—literally. So it's _you_ who we're hoping to progress to the next romantic level…so…I guess part of me was just curious to see if and when you might be comfortable enough to suggest doing something like holding hands _yourself_. A-And besides, I…I don't always want to be forcing myself down your throat or anything romantically, so also I'm trying to…control myself a little bit better about all of this. I guess I just…want you to see that underneath 'the bully' there's my love for you…but also underneath all the raw obsession that's been bursting out of me lately there really is also a girl who genuinely and sincerely likes and cares about you." She sighed as they reached the corner of her block now and shrugged, stopping their progress forward. "I just want to be that part of myself as much as I can for you today, Arnold…to show a side of me you've never really seen before…Okay?" Finally having expressed herself as best as she could on this subject, Helga now glanced back at him with a small smile.

During this entire journey (near _jog_, actually) to her corner Arnold had just been listening to Helga and watching Helga with wide-eyed curiosity and interest. Now that they had stopped though and she was looking at him again, he blinked at first…hesitated…absorbed and processed all of that she had said…

…And then he smiled too. He chose his words with care and honesty. "Whatever way it makes you most comfortable to be around me is how I want you to be, Helga. And, well, as for the hands thing…" he squeezed her hand a tiny bit, "I'm sorry for before. I…I didn't mean to get so worked up about asking you to do it and to take so long to finally ask…even though I really did want to do it a lot. Just, um…predate jitters, heh…" He did his best to smile and shrug it off. And then he looked at her with a half lidded gaze and the smoothest smile he could manage, his confidence having a little boost now from her little confession about how she had wanted to hold his hand all the time ever since she was a 'little girl'. "But now that that's out of the way, believe me, I'll be doing everything I can to sweep you off your feet for the rest of the night." He winked, his grin picking up a little on one side.

He watched Helga blink a couple of times at his last forward little comment, blush rosy, and then she looked down rather shyly. "Uh wh-whatever floats your boat, A-Arnold, heh…" Inside, Helga felt her heart flutter a little—he was so enticing when he was bold…and he was being bold about sweeping her off her feet! Tonight! She could have just swooned and fainted right on the spot (if she wasn't trying to strike a balance tonight between her love at its most crazed and her defensiveness at its most coarse and bullying. Eh, she would save it for later in front of the flowers currently at the foot of her Arnold shrine. Besides…she…really did have something she needed to address with him right now before the continued this walk to his house).

Meanwhile, a low little chuckle escaped Arnold at her flustered response. He shook his head, the playful smile still on his face. "Uh uh, I think you mean whatever floats OUR boat, Helga. This is _our_ date, after all, like you said." He gave her hand another little squeeze. "Now, I guess we should cross the street. We've still got two and a half blocks until we reach my house, after all." He smiled more to himself. '_Okay, this is going a lot better now. At least I'm starting to seem more like I know what I'm doing.'_

Arnold went to start walking forward, but Helga didn't move, considering that 'one final thing' she needed to talk to him about before they went any farther.

"Ow!"

The end result was that Arnold tripped forward off of the curb and landed practically in the gutter and he nearly pulled Helga down with him, though she managed to remain standing by grabbing onto a street signpost with her free hand at the last second.

"Arnold…are you okay?" Helga instantly asked in worry with a blink of surprise. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you trip…." She released her hold on the street signpost and reached down with her free hand to help prop him fully upright again, dusting him off now and mentally smacking herself for letting this happen to him. _'Smooth, Helga, very smooth…Doi!'_

A blushing and somewhat mortified Arnold just shook his head though, cutting her off as his own self-abashing mind did not want to dwell on his stupid little bumble at all. "Uh…forget it. It's fine, Helga, really…" He smiled half sheepishly, trying to play it cool again but knowing he must be failing._ 'She really was right all those years…I am SUCH a klutz_.' He cringed on the inside.

Helga smiled a little and nodded, taking a step back from him, still holding his hand. "O-Okay…" '_Stupid_!' she thought to herself. _'He probably just got reminded of every single time you made him trip as a bully over the years, even if this one wasn't intentional!'_ She cringed a little on the inside at the idea but did her best to plow on from it. "A-Anyway, um…I'm sorry I didn't go forward with you just now, but…Arnold? Could I ask you a favor…before we start walking again?" This meant quite a bit to her…Her wide eyes looked imploringly at him…right into his own eyes, as a matter of fact…

Arnold's eyes caught those eyes. All embarrassment about tripping went away… The beats of his heart started to deepen, and then they started to speed…faster and faster…Those blue eyes…When she looked at him directly and with them so wide and so trusting, he…really couldn't look away. It was just like at Slausens earlier, when those eyes had asked him how he really felt about her romantically. And he knew now that whatever favor she might ask he would grant it, or at he would try as much as he could to grant it…He just couldn't deny those eyes. They were beautiful pools of love.

He just gave a little nod in response to her question about asking him a favor.

Helga just swallowed and hoped he wouldn't be too annoyed with her about what she would bring up now. She rubbed the back of her neck with her free hand. "Well, I…I do love you, Arnold. And I want us to have a mutual relationship…you know, romantically…more than anything in the whole world. And I know you said today that you'd basically love us going public but…like I said, I just…need to ease into something like that. It's complicated. So, um, anyway…since it's still two and a half blocks to your house, and we both look like this, and we're together, and who knows who we might run into even though it's almost dinnertime and everyone's probably at home…well, I was wondering…just to keep down the chances of us being seen and having our cover kind of blown…" she let out a sigh and finally asked it, "Could we sort of race back to your house?" She managed a half smile and added, trying to lighten the mood of the strange request, "Besides, that, uh, eating contest this morning _was_ sort of a draw…and so was the juice drinking contest, considering the whole 'one cup, two straws' thing. So maybe this could be our tiebreaker. A 'winner takes all' kind of deal. Okay?" She gave a small chuckle.

Arnold blinked at the request. '_Oh_…' He took in her words, considered how they made him feel… To be honest, though her reasoning about this situation was logical and what she wanted was understandable and also easily granted, a small something was tugging in Arnold's stomach about it all. He just…he found Helga's shyness about their secret sweet of course but…not even wanting to risk being seen walking up the street with him for two blocks? It felt a little funny. He almost wondered how far she might push this point of her fear of exposure if and when pressed in the future…

Still though, now was probably not the time for some deep thinking about all of this, and it really was a small request on her part, and she made a good point about how the race could be a tiebreaker, and also, as a gentleman, Arnold didn't want to refuse the request of a lady (and he also wanted his lady to be as comfortable as possible about their date together…)

And so, finally, our football headed hero smiled and nodded at her. "As you wish, Helga." He winked and then held up their still enjoined hands. "Do we race holding hands or separately?"

Her eyes brightened with happiness at his acquiescence and then she smirked and rolled her eyes at his reference to their hands right now. "Eh, well, not that I don't 'love your touch upon me', Arnold, but I think if we race holding hands, 'A' we'll end up with a tie problem similar to the one with that whole 'one cup, two straws' thing, and 'B' I could completely see us running and not looking where we're going and our arms crashing into and wrapping around a lamp post and the two of us coming crashing together so…I think we should race 'hands separately' for now…" She gently slipped her hand from his. "But I promise to hold your hand again very soon, if you'd like…" She fluttered her eyelashes a little, doing it consciously now and kind of liking it.

Arnold's grin widened. He forgot all about any reservations about her 'evasive' maneuvers. And also he was a little distracted by hoping that she wasn't making that lamppost joke as a result of his klutziness so far with the fire hydrant this afternoon and the curb just now. "Sounds good to me, Helga." He faced forward, glancing at her out of the corner of his eye. "So..._ready_?" He smiled more.

She faced forward now too, smiling more as well. "_Set_?" she supplied.

There was another second of silence.

And then both children screamed, "GO!" at the same time and proceeded to full out race the two and a half blocks to the Sunset Arms boarding house on Vine Street.

It was an overall enjoyable start to a date for both of them.

* * *

**A/N:**

Well, that's all for now, folks :) Next is awkward dinner, awkward, questions, awkward attempt at watching a movie… :333 I have their date pretty much all written out so I'll try for another update soon, but mostly I think I'm gonna focus on finishing up LTBH just because I completely want that fic done by the time I start school again in January XD Not that it hasn't been fun writing it and TA, but I'm getting tired, lol, and also I have other story ideas I want to move on to. But anyway, along with LTBH, I'll still be working on a few collab stories with people and possibly my Danny Phantom story so stay tuned please! ^w^ Thank you!

Happy Reading!

AXH FOREVER!

~Azure129 aka Jenna


	5. Remembering to Be Yourself

**A/N:**

Hi everyone! Sorry, probably a relatively short note from me, I'm very tired at the moment. XD Anyway, sorry for a lack of updates for a while. I've been working a lot, I just finished my master's degree (thesis regarding the educational benefits of fan fiction to follow), and I've been starting to work on some of my own original writing projects. Just very busy, very overwhelmed XD Anyway, anyone still keeping up with my stories I just want to thank you for your patience. This will hopefully be my last batch of updates, and from now on I'll just try to update one thing every month or two until I wrap up my in progress stories entirely so that I can move on to some new things.

Anyway, here's the basic schedule. This story is getting an update tonight along with "Dinner and a Show." Next to follow shortly should be a somewhat lengthy update to LTBH (which will be wrapping up very very soon hopefully), followed by a second update to "Dinner and a Show" since the original chapter draft I did ended up too long and I had to split it up into two chapters.

I hope you guys enjoy these updates, thank you again for reading.

**April 2****nd****:**

**Chapter 5:**

**Remembering to Be Yourself**

* * *

With panting smiles, Arnold and Helga finally came upon Arnold's front stoop…and Arnold, just a step or two in the lead, actually made it there before Helga.

He leaned against the side of the building for a moment, catching his breath. "Hey, I…I won!" He turned back to Helga, smiling proudly. '_Alright, at least I showed her I'm okay at __one__ thing.'_

A smiling Helga finished catching her breath as well and then straightened up, brushing some of her hair behind her ear. "Hey, hey, you had an advantage. I was spending the whole time trying to keep my hair out of my eyes and from turning into some kind of nightmare." She straightened the blond, loose strands that had managed to get out of place as best as she could.

Arnold just smiled and chuckled a little. He had never seen her worry about anything with her appearance…until now with him. He felt almost a little unworthy of the attention. And why should she care about how she looked around him anyway? He liked so much about her that her hair could have been any which way she pleased and he still would have thought it was the prettiest, sunniest, silkiest hair in the whole wide world. He decided to tell her so. "Helga…" he went forward and gently took her hand fixing her hair, causing her eyes to come to his, "Your hair is…i-is…is…I-I mean, I…" '_Wh-What's going on?_' Arnold just…he had suddenly locked up inside. It was just…she was so close…he was touching her…those blue eyes of hers were looking into his own…and he felt like…and he really could almost see it too…he felt like he could tell her how lovely and nice her hair was…and then maybe he would reach up and touch it, running his fingers through it like he had almost wanted to this morning with her…She would blush…He would tremble…and then…and then…His heart thundered away in his chest at all the things that might come next…and all from something as simple as being close and liking her hair.

"I-I…" Arnold gulped, feeling so awkwardly nervous. '_Okay, this…parts of this are going to be more complicated than I thought they would be. I can deal with that. I just…need to keep things innocent and light so that there's not too much pressure, and I need to make sure that we're not this c-close when I want to compliment her. I can get used to this, liking Helga. I-I can.'_ Arnold let out a breath and did his best to smile. "Um…Helga?"

Looking at him very curiously, she nodded. "Yes?" '_What's up with him? He was about to say something about my hair and then he got this whole deer in the headlights look._' She gulped and felt a shadow of sadness creep over her. What if he hadn't been able to say anything because he didn't like her hair? Like he had started to say something about it to be polite but then his inability to lie had left him in an awkward position, and so now he was changing the subject? Helga felt very very self conscious all of a sudden—she hadn't changed much about herself for today but every little thing was suddenly magnified in her mind. She almost felt foolish for all of it really, sort of like that time she had made herself over for Rhonda's girls only slumber party, but worse because quite frankly she really didn't give two cents whether the girls in her class thought she was foolish or silly, but she did care about what Arnold thought about her actions immensely.

The sound of Arnold speaking more caught her ears again.

He was smiling at her still. That was a good sign at least. "Um…why don't we go inside now?" He bent a little low and reached out to take the handle of his front door to open it for her.

Helga gulped and just nodded shyly. "O-Okay…I-I mean, whatever floats your boat…heh…" _'Okay, okay, just don't think about it. You're just being paranoid and self-conscious. Remember, he has a crush on you and really really likes you…He told you so this morning, and Arnold never lies. And heck, he spent last night wrapped around you with his lips tenderly caressing yours so, yeah, I think there's a pretty safe bet he really does have a thing for me!'_ She smiled and took a step up the stoop.

A still smiling Arnold opened the door.

About a million animals ran out of the house.

* * *

_Helga only escaped them by jumping to the side in surprise, and Arnold, on instinct, luckily managed to catch her in his arms, cradling her._

_The animals came and went._

_Helga's thoughts: '__Why the heck does that only randomly happen?__'_

_Arnold's thoughts: '__I am such a geek, aren't I? Who else has random packs of animals run out of their front door half the time? I asked Grandma to stop letting Abner have 'play dates' with the other pets in the neighborhood and those sled dogs she likes to keep.'_

_The animals passed. Arnold and Helga's thoughts finished. Then the two kids looked to each other. And then they became very aware of Helga being in Arnold's arms…just like this morning._

_Helga felt her heart pleasantly fluttering. It was tempered a little by her doubts about her appearance from before, but still…major heart fluttering. She just looked at him with wide eyes, wondering what he might do next._

_Arnold just… '__Holding her…__' It was so interesting now that he knew how she felt about him, and better yet it was just like this morning when she had jumped into his arms only without the awkwardness of a third party (aka his Grandpa) there to make him too self-conscious to focus on it. Now she was in his arms and all to himself._

_He took a breath in and let it out, and decided to try and handle this situation as smoothly as possible. He let his eyes go a little half lidded and half smiled to Helga. He spoke in as steady and smooth a voice as he could. "Sorry about that…Sometimes there are some surprises around here. You're okay though, right?" _

_Helga blinked a few times and swallowed and nodded and shrugged. "Yeah, I'm good…" She blushed a little and added with a small smile, glancing away shyly. "Thanks for catching me. My hero." She chuckled a little._

_Arnold's smile grew a little. Yes, it was a joke, but it was a joke that suggested he might be doing something right with all of this. "Good…and thanks, Helga." he replied sincerely. Then, the door still open, he proceeded to carry Helga inside. "Well, inside we go then…" He blushed and just tried not to spazz too much about the fact that he was carrying a girl in his arms._

_Helga gasped, on instinct clinging her arms more around his neck. Her breaths became shallow. "A-Arnold! I-I…" She had never expected this! The rare chance to dive into his arms was one thing, but he was actually in the process now of carrying her over the threshold of his house… __'L-Like I'm his bride…__' Oh she just wanted to swoon with all of her strength and bury herself against him in total bliss. She settled for a deep blush and goofy grin. "Arnold…" she whispered, "You don't have to carry me if you don't want to, Football Head…I've got two legs that work fine enough…"_

_Arnold chuckled as pushed the door shut behind them with his hip and started to make their way down the foyer. "I know…but I figured…as long as I was holding you again anyway, I might as well…" He winked __'Yes, yes, this is going great!'__ He smiled at her suavely. "So, are you liking our date so far, Ms. Helga Pataki?"_

"_Oh Arnold…it's dreamy…just like you…!" Helga giggled, cuddling against him._

_Arnold let out a very content sigh. '__Oh yeah…I'm definitely sweeping her off her feet__…' _

* * *

Yes, in a perfect world for Arnold things would have gone like that. He would have been quick enough to catch Helga in his arms when the animals came out, he would have been clever enough to say a smooth line to her and to then carry her into the house, he would have gotten every cuddle and giggle and nice thing out of her he could, and all the while he would have been so suave about it all.

But no. Instead, in reality, this is what happened.

A still smiling Arnold opened the door.

About a million animals ran out of the house.

Helga was quick enough to jump out of the way just in time so that she was sitting safely on the wide railing of Arnold's stoop.

Arnold, all distracted by his date, totally forgot about the constant possibility of this happening with the animals and was instantly trampled to the ground by everything from Gertie's random huskies to Abner right at the very end.

The wind knocked out of him, flat on his back on his stoop, sore as all heck, Arnold just lay there and didn't open his eyes. '_Oh…brother_.' He didn't even want to get up. He mostly just kind of wanted to throw in the towel. Helga was probably laughing hysterically, and that idea made him cringe a little in embarra—

"Arnold!"

Her voice cried his name in a gasp and caused Arnold's eyes to fly open. Then instantly her eyes were looking down upon her face as she hovered over him. She was kneeling beside him on the steps, it seemed, looking down with so much concern, and those blue eyes of hers searched all over him with love and worry. Her hands were upon him now, gently helping to lift him up from the concrete stoop. "Did they hurt you, Arnold?" she asked so sincerely.

"Uh...n-no, I, um…I meant to do that? Heh…" He got up, brushing himself off, trying to straighten his bowtie and smooth back his hair again, and all the while blushing thoroughly. The worst part, he realized, was that he had phrased 'I meant to do that' in the form of a question.

Helga, now standing up as well, just raised part of her brow and looked at him with her mouth quirked to the side, crossing her arms over her chest. "Arnold, you did not mean to do that. What are you talking about?" she asked bluntly.

Arnold just blushed more and looked down, clasping his hands in front of himself. "I…um…" Finally he just gulped and admitted, looking down and to the side. "Sorry, I was just embarrassed." He gave a little shrug. He couldn't lie to her. Not that he wanted to lie to her, but it would just have been nice if he could have pretended not to do some of the million embarrassing things he was bound to do on this date now that he had these feelings for her.

Helga blinked at that response from him. It had been honest and surprising. "Arnold…" she looked down like she was in thought for a moment and then stepped forward used her hand to lift up his chin so that he was looking her in the eye again, "Look, Football Head, I need to explain something to you before we get farther into this whole 'date' thing. Are you listening carefully?" She smiled compassionately.

Arnold nodded, not blinking, his eyes never leaving hers.

She smiled more. "Good. Now look, I get that you've got a lot of new and very weird things going on inside of you about me right now, but you need to remember that I'm still just me, just Helga G. Pataki. I'm not one of those random, froo froo, stuck up older chicks you always tend to pine after—I'm not waiting to be impressed by you, and I'm not looking for a reason to laugh at you or to make myself feel like I'm better than you. I like you, Arnold, we're friends, and everyone makes mistakes and trips or says the wrong thing or spills something or whatever. So don't worry so much about trying to seem cool or sophisticated or anything to me, it's only going to make you nervous and clumsy—believe me, I know, I've tried those things for you…" She rolled her eyes with a smirk at the memories and then finished, "Just be yourself and we'll be fine, okay?"

Arnold kept looking at her with wide, unsure eyes for another moment…but then finally he nodded. "Uh…oh…okay." Then he smiled as it finally sank it. She wasn't looking to be impressed? That didn't change the fact that he still did want to impress her, though, of course, but at least it took some of the pressure off. And it was nice of her to let him know all of this, to make them on equal terms. He should have realized though—after all, Helga G. Pataki had never liked a lot of nonsense. "Thanks, Helga." He smiled at her appreciatively. Then he swallowed and gestured for her to go inside. "Um, ladies first."

Helga blinked at the sudden offer and blushed a touch but then smiled and walked in, shaking her head with a sigh. "I should probably give you a chivalry talk too pretty soon but, eh, one thing at a time. Besides…" inside now, she turned around and took his arm and pulled him in with her (and pulled him close), the door shutting behind them, "It's kind of nice to finally have you doing all of those things for me that you used to only want to do for other girls who caught your eye."

Arnold blinked a few times and swallowed. He was reminded slightly of their April Fools dance last night. A lot of pulling and twirling and grabbing the other person close by surprise… He did his best to put the blush-worthy thoughts behind him for a moment, and just managed a smile and replied, "Oh…well, yeah, I…like I said, I like you a lot and…I want to try to show you that I like you." He cleared his throat then and moved away from her a bit. "Uh, come this way, Helga—I figured we could have lunch in the kitchen. I talked to my grandpa and made sure that no one will bother us…" He took her hand in his and started to lead her along in the kitchen's direction.

Helga giggled a little, following along with him. "Ooo, getting me all alone, huh? You're secretly one smooth operator, aren't you, Arnol—Oof!"

Helga's slight exclamation of pain was due to the fact that Arnold had suddenly stopped dead in his tracks, causing Helga to slam right into him. "Helga!" He turned around and looked at her with bright cheeks and his eyes wide almost in panic, barely even registering any discomfort from her crashing into him.

"Sheesh, Football Head!" Helga, meanwhile, cringed and rubbed the side of her head. "A little warning next time you're putting on the brakes, huh?" She blinked a few times and then looked at his distressed face with a confused half smile. "What?"

"You…I…we…" Arnold then sighed deeply and took a moment to compose himself and his thoughts. He then put his hands together and spoke to Helga then in much more straightforward and serious tone. "Helga, I know you like to tease me, but can you not do it about this? About romantic things and girls and stuff? Please." The way he delivered the request suggested he was being serious—he wasn't whining that he wanted her to quit bugging him, he wasn't expressing some mild annoyance with her antics that he didn't really mean, he was asking her a personal favor, one old friend to another. "I'm…shy about those things," he quickly explained. "I don't handle it well." He looked down in a touch of embarrassment at having to admit that, arms crossed over his chest now.

Helga didn't protest or joke further though. In fact, she just smiled and moved closer to him, arms behind her back and seeming very satisfied about something. "And that is what I have been trying to get out of you, Arnold—an honest response. Not you sucking up to me or not telling me how you really feel. Arnold, seriously, if you're annoyed at me—I mean more annoyed than normal—or I bug you too much about something or cross a line, just tell me. You have to keep doing that or we'll never get anywhere. I know this is strictly against everything I've ever told you before but don't let me push you around—push back a little. Just like you've always done from time to time…" Her voice softened and she finished, "And I do promise that I won't make jokes like that if they embarrass you. Alright, Arnold?" And then she blushed a little and added quietly, "And, um…I like that you're shy about this. I think it's cute actually." She looked down bashfully. It was so…neat! Getting to actually tell Arnold when she thought he was cute.

"I…" a now blushing Arnold started to reply, having a thorough appreciation for all of her words, "I think it's cute when you're shy too, you know…like how you are sometimes around me now…only me…" And then Arnold's hand was holding Helga's again, and he lifted it up to give a light kiss to the back of it. Helga looked up with a blink and Arnold was just smiling sweetly up at her. "Thanks, Helga." He laughed a little. "And okay, I'll try and let you know how things really make me feel like usual and I'll try and stand up for myself."

Helga smiled and they now both finally found their way into the kitchen. "Sounds good to me, Arnold." And she giggled at all the stuff he had said to her about being cute.

Once they were in the kitchen Arnold led Helga over to the table and pulled out her chair for her. "Um, you can sit here, Helga."

Helga smirked at him a little, part of her brow raised as she sat. "You're really into this gentleman thing, aren't you, Arnold?"

Arnold shrugged, smiling at her and helping push in her chair. "I can't help it. It's part of who I am, I think."

Helga just giggled and rolled her eyes, crossing her arms over her chest and reclining back a little. "Works for me."

Arnold chuckled in return. Then he leaned back on the edge of the table a little. "So, what would you like to eat, Helga?"

Helga's eyes widened a little and her grin picked up on one side. "Wait wait wait—I get to choose? And you're going to cook it for me?" She pointed at him.

Arnold nodded, smiling humbly. "Yes. Or, I'll do my best at it at least. I mostly cook with my grandma and she makes a lot of, um…unusual things, but I'm sure I could figure out something basic."

"Hmm…" Helga considered, reclining her head back to gaze up at the ceiling a little. Then a thought dawned on her. "Okay then. Well, I'll have whatever you're having, Football Head. I'm a pretty easy fit." She put her arms behind her head and then added a touch seriously, "Oh but no strawberries—I'm allergic to strawberries."

Arnold blinked at the information. "Really?"

Helga nodded. "Yup. Can't have a one."

"Hmm…" Arnold smiled a little, "That's kind of funny. I-I mean, it's not funny that you're allergic but just that you can't eat strawberries even though so many pink foods have strawberries in them and you like the color pink so much." He blushed a little as he stumbled over his words but managed to get them out relatively calmly and smoothly nonetheless.

Helga laughed a little at the idea. "Huh, never thought of that. Yeah, me and pink…" she sighed, glancing down at her jumper, "Darn you for making it stick with me so much, Mister 'I like your bow because it's pink like your pants.'" She giggled.

Arnold smiled more as he went over to the fridge now to get some ingredients out. "Well, it is a lovely shade of it that you wear…I guess I couldn't help myself back then." He went over to the stove with a few things. "Is grilled cheese okay, Helga? And Yahoo sodas?" he asked over his shoulder.

Helga nodded, her eyes brightening. "Yeah, sure! And make mine with pepper jack if you have it, and extra cheesy."

Arnold nodded, still smiling. "Okay, Helga, pepper jack it is…"

* * *

About fifteen minutes later everything was done and Arnold had two plates of grilled cheese in front of himself and Helga respectively along with two bottles of Yahoo soda and even a little vase with a flower in it at the center of the kitchen table for effect.

As the two children ate they talked.

"Wow, it's nice to spend time here without being terrified about being caught or sleep deprived from spending a night crammed in a closet," Helga laughed to herself at the idea, taking another big bite of the grilled cheese.

Arnold laughed too, swallowing a bite he was currently working on. "Well, it's nice to have you here. You never really came over much before…everything. But I like it. You're fun, Helga."

Helga grinned a lot and blushed. "Oh…well, thanks, Football Head." She felt so giddy, she barely knew what to do. So she settled on reaching across the table and giving him a playful shoulder nudge across the table.

He winced a little but mostly smiled. "You're welcome, Helga."

There were quiet for a little bit.

Then Helga put down her sandwich for a moment and looked at Arnold with a touch of hesitation. "Hey…Arnold? S-Sorry, I don't like beating around the bush but I was wondering, um…you know how at Slausens today I sort of spilled my guts to you about a lot of stuff about me? Well…could I ask you some things about you now too maybe? I mean besides just 'how do you feel about me and when did that start' ?" She was trying to be casual but her voice sounded hopeful.

Arnold blinked at the sudden request. "Oh! Um…well…sure, Helga." He smiled at her. "I don't mind sharing."

Helga smiled a little and gave a nod. "Thanks, Arnold. It'll help. Really." He swallowed another bite of her food and then took a deep breath and began, as casually as she could manage. "So…you and Lila, um…those pesky feelings you had for her are gone I guess, huh?"

Arnold looked a touch embarrassed about the question, but before Helga could consider retracting it for the moment for his sake, he swallowed a bite of his meal and nodded a little. "Yes. No more feelings for Lila. None at all."

Helga felt a little better right now. She had been concerned for a bit, thinking about it this afternoon while getting ready now that she'd had some time. She had been worried Arnold might be feeling torn between his liking of Lila and his liking of her, and for all she knew that might lead to another Valentine's Day 'two dates on one night' situation. But she was very glad to hear that Lila was emotionally out of the picture for him. Helga then looked curious and asked further, "Is that because of me, Arnold?" She quirked her mouth to the side a little, looking at him. "I-I mean, did…did what I did to you on that rooftop make that happen?"

Arnold shook his head, not even having to think about the answer to that. "No. I mean…" he considered a little, wanting to explain his response to her as clearly as possible, "what happened on the rooftop and everything after, that definitely helped move me past the end of my feelings for her but…they've been fading for a while…and then I just gave up." He looked at her a little dryly, leaning his head on one of his hands. "It was getting a little ridiculous. Even I could see that."

Helga just looked at him even more curiously. Just gave up? That did not sound like Arnold. Besides which, she had noticed during their lives that Arnold's feelings for girls never seemed to slowly fade—something specific tended to happen to take them away. So what had happened exactly regarding Lila that Helga apparently was not aware of? "Arnold, what happened, exactly, to make you not like Lila like that anymore?" Then she tacked on for his sake, "If you don't mind my asking."

Arnold looked down a little, playing with his napkin. Perhaps it was awkward to talk about with the girl he was currently on a date with, but at the same time he felt very comfortable sharing with her. "Well…um…the feelings stopped after I did something I'm sort of not proud of. And the feelings actually started to fade a bit before that anyway right after, um…" he sighed, rushing a little now and picking up his soda to have something to do and distract himself, "…I had this dream. It was kind of silly, heh. Very awkward dream." He swallowed about half the bottle in one shot and put it down, folding his hands in his lap and looking upward, trying to seem casual but clearly feeling nervous.

Okay, Helga NEEDED to know what this embarrassing thing was, AND what this probably even more embarrassing dream was all about. She just had to. But she knew she also needed to rein it in a little, give him some time. She settled for smiling a little and replying in as no pressure a tone as she could manage, "Aw, Arnold, come on, don't feel embarrassed. Heck, you WALKED IN on me having an embarrassing dream the morning after we saved the neighborhood, and I'm sure yours couldn't be any worse. And so you did something you're not proud of," she shrugged, "Well, shocking news, you're not perfect—but you're human, so I think we all kind of expected that. But even if you don't come off good in the story about whatever you did, hey, just think of all the crazy stuff I told you today that I did, and how awfully I came off in most of that. I told you Arnold, don't judge yourself so harshly with me. There's no need." She smiled a little more and then added, looking down, "I have a lot of respect for you, Football Head. Despite all the insults and pranks, I always have. And I don't think there's anything you could do or think that would shake that."

Arnold was looking at her with pleasant interest. She made good points, and she was supportive, and she even seemed sort of sympathetic. He always knew Helga had been that insightful and caring deep down—it was nice to see her letting it out, even if it was only with him at the moment. "Thanks, Helga. I'm trying. And I'm happy to hear that…" He looked down, playing with the crust of his grilled cheese and decided to tell her. "Gerald's got this little sister, Timberly, and I always try to be nice to her, but then one day she got a little crush on me. I started trying to tell her that it was sweet of her but I really didn't feel the same way, but then Lila thought it was cute the two of us were hanging out together so then I tried to keep hanging out with Timberly—a-and Lila—as much as possible. I thought me pretending to give that much extra attention to Timberly would make Lila like me like me. I didn't even think about what I might have been doing to Timberly. But then Lila just…wouldn't. And I finally told Timberly the truth. She was okay, actually. It was like she had forgotten about the crush. But Lila was 'disappointed' with me for trying to get her to like me like me again." He sighed, shrugging, really not feeling so very embarrassed anymore. "It was just such a hassle, Helga. It felt like even if I did manage to get her to like me like me again, I'd have to just become a totally different person and try at it and try at it for the rest of my life. I don't want to do that, Helga. I just want…someone I can relax with, that's all." He smiled more. "I just want to be myself, just like you said I should be, that's all."

Helga had listened to all of this with deep interest. She smiled at the ending words. She approved of them greatly. "Exactly!" She laughed a little, but it was warmly and happily. "Oh Arnold," she rolled her eyes and rested her chin on her hand, "Really, don't feel too bad about what you did. It took me until not too long ago to realize the same thing—no sense being with someone who you have to be a totally different person with. That's not an enjoyable relationship for anybody. And I'm not just speaking from my personal bias against you and Lila—I'm speaking from personal experience, Pataki's honor." She half smiled, making a gesture with her finger of crossing her heart in a pledge of truth.

Arnold smiled more and was even able to laugh a little. "Yeah. It's really nice to spend time with someone who likes you for you…who 'like likes' you for you."

"I agree, Arnold," added Helga softly, as she played with her own food casually a little, "one hundred percent."

Arnold smiled a little more and blushed a little. Then he added kind of sheepishly, "I'd rather wait to talk about my dream, Helga. It was just very strange and kind of a nightmare really." Trying to talk to Helga about Lulu and Hilda and ever so private swims and making out at the movies and just all the weirdness in general…He would need some time before he could do that. "It just…I sort of got a little too much of Lila in that dream, and I started to think that maybe I really wouldn't want her even if she did start to like me like me again, that's all."

Helga nodded in understanding. "Okay. That all makes sense. I just wanted to make sure that I wasn't confusing you by making you have feelings for two people at once, and that you didn't give up on Lila just because I kind of confused and overwhelmed you. I wanted it to be your choice and it looks like it was." She smiled. "Thanks for helping clear that up for me, Football Head."

"Sure, Helga." Wow that really hadn't been so bad. Arnold had been just a little worried at first that whatever she asked him might be embarrassing, but so far her questions made sense and he could work his way through them if he tried hard enough.

"Can I shoot another one at you, Football Head?" Helga asked casually, starting in on her second half of grilled cheese.

Arnold nodded, picking up his second half as well. "Sure, Helga. What is it?"

Helga smiled just a little as she swallowed. "So…am I the only girl you've ever had a kiss with, Arnold?" She knew it was prying a little but…she wanted to know. After all she hadn't been able to watch Arnold with Ruth and Lila and any other girls 24/7—who knew what could have happened? And, really, his skill at the kissing was much more impressive than she had ever thought it would actually be. Perhaps it might be from practice? The idea…she couldn't necessarily blame him if he had, she guessed, but it did fill her with a touch of discomfort and worry nonetheless.

Arnold went bright red, and was instantly gripping his napkin very tightly. "Um…" he started shyly—he had to tell her the truth, he couldn't even begin to think of a way to lie about this that wouldn't completely blow up in his face in two seconds. She was just too smart and he was just too bad at lying. And he didn't want to not answer. He really did like sharing with her. It was interesting. "Yes. You're the only, um…girl I've ever had a kiss with, Helga." He looked to her eyes, his heart racing…and his eyes uncontrollably falling to her lips…the only lips that had ever touched his own in his entire ten years of life. He glanced away again, blushing even more. All of this physical stuff really was starting to overwhelm him a little. He knew he would just need some time—already he was better than he had been on that rooftop. But still, kissing was overwhelming enough with Helga: talking about kissing, though, was almost entirely too much for him.

Arnold barely glanced back toward the girl across from him and watched Helga's smile as she finished eating instantly brighten a little, her mouth picking up on one side "Oh, um…" she was trying to sound casual. "Great, then! I-I mean, um…cool…" She shrugged. "Just curious, that's all." She felt very nice thinking that she had given him both his first and only kisses.

Arnold took a breath in and let it out. This whole question and answer thing was even harder than Helga had made it look back at Slausens earlier. "Um…did you ever have a kiss with another boy?" It was out of his mouth before he could stop it. And he knew he had asked and received answers to more than his fair share of questions so far today but suddenly it occurred to him that he wanted to know the answer to this particular question very much. After all, she was so good at it. What if she had—

"Never. Never in my entire life." Arnold's eyes shot up to meet Helga's as she gave this simple and direct reply…and she looked almost shocked at the very notion, like it had never occurred to her ever before. She went on. "I've never ever even wanted to, Arnold…You're the only boy for me." She said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world, almost looking at him in concern a little.

Arnold felt his heart pounding and his blushing growing more and more. He was the only boy for her? The only one…not even just the most important one or the only one now but the only one ever it seemed. He'd never felt so…special in his entire life. "Really?" He almost smiled a little and wanted more than anything else for her to confirm it, to say it again. This new relationship of theirs was really starting to grow on him.

Helga just tilted her head to the side a little but then smiled. "Really, my love. You're the only boy I've ever had a kiss with. And the only one I've ever wanted to with." A touch of something smug came to her features as she couldn't help but add, "Well, you and 'dream you.' But I've explained to him that now that I've got access to real you, you're the top priority." She laughed a little and went back to her grilled cheese.

"Wonderful…" Arnold couldn't help sighing out the word dreamily in response to her and chuckling at her little joke at the end…But then he blinked and cleared his throat and glanced to the side. "I mean, um…cool…J-Just curious, heh." He shrugged and picked up the last of his sandwich to finish it. "Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt your questions, Helga," he told her politely.

Helga just smiled, taking the last sip of her soda. "No problem, Football Head. Since we're about done eating, though, I guess I should wrap it up anyway. Just one more question from me, Arnold, if you don't mind." She smiled more and added, "And thanks for being such a sport about all of this. And I promise this one will be the least awkward of all." She cleared her throat with a little sheepish grin, crossing her arms over her chest. "Okay, well, Arnold…I already know you like monster movies, that you always do the right thing, that you like baseball, that you're pretty good at electronics considering that room of yours, and now I know that you can cook …So, um, besides all of those things, would you be willing to tell me something about yourself? Preferably something that no one else knows…or at least something that only Gerald knows…?" She shrugged… "Sorry, um…I just like knowing about you. And the point of this _is_ to get closer after all."

Arnold understood…and he thought a little… "I like to daydream a lot." It was the first response to this question that occurred to him.

Helga looked at him with part of her brow raised in interest. "Really?" '_Huh, I thought I was the only one who did that…and it's usually about Arnold.' _"About what?" she couldn't help asking, then added, "I-If you don't mind telling me. I mean, if they're private like that dream you had I totally understand, Arnold." She blushed a little and added, pushing back some of her hair, "I'm a little shy about discussing my dreams and daydreams too—unless of course you walk in on me right in the middle of when I think I'm having one and then I just spill the beans all over the place, heh…" She half grinned sheepishly.

Arnold just smiled softly, his gaze a little half lidded. She didn't have to be shy with him about things like that. He would understand any dream or daydream she might have…even ones about him. And so maybe he didn't have to be shy with her either. "No, it's alright, Helga. I mean, you might think it's a little silly but…I just daydream about different things I could be doing, adventures I could be going on. I kind of create fantasies, I guess, and then I revisit them a lot." He glanced at Helga and noticed that she was looking at him with a lot of curiosity and interest. He went on. "Things like floating around in outer space or surfing with dinosaurs or exploring in the jungle or swimming deep under the sea and finding new things. I used to do it a lot in class but I've started to get better about it there. Now I mostly just do it whenever I'm upstairs alone in my room listening to my jazz music." As he continued speaking now he stood and started clearing their plates.

He walked everything over to the sink and starting rinsing. By the time the water had turned off Helga still hadn't said anything to him, and so he turned around and asked with an eyebrow raised and a soft, half smile on his lips, "Helga?"

She just looked like she was deep in thought, and concentrating quite a bit.

Arnold walked back over to her. "Helga?" he tried again, standing near her, ready to tap her shoulder if necessary.

"Hmm?" Helga came out of it a little now and blinked and then glanced at him. "Oh. Sorry, Football Head." She turned more in her chair to face him. "I was just thinking a little." She looked up at the ceiling for a few seconds then looked back at Arnold with a soft half smile. "Thanks for sharing with me again." She smiled more. "I like to think I know everything about you, but I really don't, do I?" She stood up now, pushing her chair into the table. "I think that'll make this more fun, Arnold. I figured all I'd be doing on this date thing was letting you know more about me, but I get to learn a lot about you too, I guess." She headed over to the sink to wash her hands, then grabbed a paper towel. "Oh, and I think your daydreams sound pretty creative, Football Head. So you know this means I'm totally upping the creative responsibilities you get whenever we get shoved together for school projects, right?" She grinned a little and winked at him over her shoulder, tossing the paper towel in the trash bin. "You've been holding out on me, and I'm not going to let it slide anymore, bucko." She laughed, and then turned, leaning against the kitchen counter.

Arnold just looked at her with interest. A part of him felt like he should be frowning and rolling his eyes now and ignoring her…that was how he had always handled Helga G. Pataki…but it wasn't really the right way for him to handle Helga G. Pataki, was it? It had never felt entirely right, to be honest—just the best he had been able to come up with so far. And so he thought for a second and then smiled and walked past her toward the kitchen exit leading to the stairs with a little grin of his own and a shrug. "Whatever you say, Helga. But you have to do all of the writing from now on, especially the creative writing…especially the poetry. Deal?" He turned around and smiled with as much smugness at her as she was doing at him.

Helga's eyes lit up in a touch of intrigue. She walked closer to him, following his lead. "Fine, but I haven't mastered writing about things besides you yet so I really hope the project's about footballs or do-gooder shrimps or jelly bean green eyes, or sadly we're never going to pass, Football Head." She gave him a little nudge as she moved to the end of the bannister and waited for him to join her.

Arnold still felt a little giddy about this new way of interacting with Helga but he did manage to smile more and lean a little closer and add, "Helga, please don't be modest about things. I'm really not used to it. And I thought modesty was my department. And also I'm sure you could write about anything beautifully, not just me." Then he took her hand and started leading them up the stairs.

Helga just smiled more and then she laughed as she followed after him, shaking her head. "Football Head, you crack me up sometimes."

Arnold laughed a little too. "You're funny too, Helga," he replied sweetly and sincerely.

The two just walked alongside each other as they ascended to the second floor hallway above.

Then Helga glanced at Arnold, some of her smile still present. "Hey, Arnold? Can I ask you just one more question?"

Arnold nodded, looking to her with a smile as well. "Of course, Helga. What is it?"

Helga turned forward and swallowed a little, and then finally asked, trying to sound like it really didn't matter to her much either way, "Do you, um…like my hair like this, Arnold?" She looked down more. "I-I mean, you really didn't say anything about it when I came in, and I wanted to change things a little for our first real date, and I guess I'm just curious if...well…"

And then she stopped and her eyes went wide and her jaw fell at the feeling of the fingers of Arnold's hand softly entwining with hers as they walked. "I'm sorry, Helga," he started sweetly and sincerely to her, "I wanted to say something when we were out on the stoop but…every time I kept trying, I just couldn't find a way to, um, put it…But it looks pretty. You look pretty, Helga. Um…like I said earlier. Prettiest girl in the whole world." He was blushing and looking down a little himself now as he smiled.

Helga just sighed softly and smiled as they made it to the top of the second floor landing and started walking down it toward the attic doorway at the end. "O-Oh… Hmm, what a little Casanova I got myself mixed up with." She laughed. "Come on, let's just do this movie…" She cleared her throat and added in a whisper. "And um…thanks, Arnold. I'm happy you think it's pretty…and that I'm pretty." She smiled brightly and squeezed his hand.

Arnold smiled pretty brightly too. "You're welcome, Helga."

"Hmm…" Helga half laughed, "It'll be nice to go up here without sneaking through a window or a wall."

Arnold laughed a little himself. "Yeah, I've always found the door to be the easiest way of entering a room."

She rolled her eyes and nudged him with her elbow again. "Shut up, geek bait."

Arnold (wincing a touch at her nudge, though he did his best to hide it) just shook his head with a smile as he reached up for the attic door cord which was now dangling above their heads. "Whatever you say, Helga, whatever you say."

* * *

"W-Well, um…here we are…" Swallowing nervously, Arnold, standing in the doorway of his room with Helga, gestured over to his couch. "Um…have a seat please, Helga, and I'll set up the little TV and the tape player."

"Okay, Football head. Sounds nifty." A smiling Helga gave him a little nod and then went over and lightly sat down, doing her best to be demure still to an extent. No legs open, hands on knees, hunched over, belching from the meal. She sat with her legs pressed together and tilted to the side a little, hands folded in her lap, back straight against the back of the couch…and just looking down shyly, and pushing her hair back behind one of her ears nervously. After all, she was in Arnold's house in Arnold's room on Arnold's couch for a date! He had actually invited her up here for romantic privacy! It was pure fantasy, plain and simple.

"Okay, um, here, let me just—Whoa!" Arnold had been carrying the little TV over to the middle of the room to put on his desk chair that was set there so that they could watch when he tripped forward! Luckily the TV slid right onto the chair, though he himself unfortunately fell to the ground. "Heh, heh," He smiled sheepishly and rubbed the back of his neck as he stood up. "Um…must have been a groove in the rug or something." He shrugged and then hopped over to his bed, got on his knees and reached up to one of the higher shelves. "Um, what did you want to watch, Helga?" Honestly he wasn't sure—but Helga was a girl, as he often had to remind the other guys, so… "Um…I have _Casablanco_, _That Oh So Special Someone_ (he rolled his eyes to himself—a film bought during his days of Lila obsession when he'd wanted to watch it to see what she saw in it, though after only a scene he'd had to turn it off). Um, I think Gerald brought over a princess movie his little sister liked once when we were babysitting her together…it might still be here."

"Um, Arnold…seriously?"

Arnold blinked at this random and confused sounding exclamation from Helga, and then turned back to look at her curiously. She was just sitting there with part of her brow raised and an amused half smile on her face. "Football Head, I love you and, yes, I'm a big hopeless romantic sappy and pathetic mush deep down in my heart, but I'm not some closet princess. I mean, don't get me wrong, I've watched my share of girly romantic movies—gave me plenty of ammunition for dream and daydream scenarios about you, but…for crying out loud, tell me you've got an _Evil Twin_ movie or something up there, my love!" She chuckled as she finished and crossed one leg over the other, keeping her hands in her lap.

Arnold absorbed this information…and then his eyes lit up and he smiled. "You like _Evil Twin_ movies…" He let out a sigh and shook his head and then turned back to his shelf and instantly went to a particular section of his movie collection. "I should have known…"

"Hmm… Why because I'm such a tomboy?" Helga half joked, figuring though that that was seriously the reason.

"No. Because you're perfect. And of course the most perfect girl in the world likes monster movies along with romantic ones," was Arnold's simple response over his shoulder to her before turning back to the movies to take down the three he was looking for.

Helga instantly froze up and blushed! And she was about to say a quiet shy little thank you back when…

"Now let me just—OOF!" Arnold had been pulling down the three _Evil Twin _movie boxes when suddenly his hand slipped and all of the tape boxes landed on the bed and he fell back onto the bed as well.

"Arnold! Are you okay?" Helga asked with genuine concern, standing up!

Arnold just blinked a few times and then sat up, that sheepish smile on his face again. "Uh, yeah…I-I'm fine, Helga. Sorry about that…um, slipped, I guess. I-I've got the tapes though—WHOA!" He'd had the three boxes held together in one hand but his grip slipped and suddenly all three flew up and then dropped to the bed once again.

Helga put a hand to her mouth, unable to help a slight laugh escaping her at the little accident.

The sound made Arnold blush, and he instantly scrambled to get the tapes together again and to get off of the bed (though a few other tape boxes fell to the bed from his shelf with muffled little bangs as he got up). He just ignored it. "Okay, um…_Evil twin I, II_ or _III_ Helga?" he asked with a smile.

"Hmm…" Helga waved him off, "eh, surprise me, Football Head." She sat back down on the couch and crossed her arms over her chest with a smile.

Arnold smiled back. "Okay." He looked at the three boxes and then tossed two over to his bed (they slammed into the wall near his bed by accident, making him blush a little). He just tried to focus though. "Have you seen _Evil Twin III_ yet, Helga?"

"Nope," came her voice from across the room. "Meant to but it was a busy few weeks for me when it came out in theatres. Plus, I usually drag Phoebe along, but after the last two _Evil Twin_ installments she point blank refused to go to anymore: horror's not really her thing. And a movie like this is more fun to watch with someone, you know?" She shrugged.

Arnold nodded as he headed across the room with the tape and then knelt down by the little TV to put the movie into the VCR. "I know, Helga…" Indeed, he knew very well that scary movies were often better in pairs. In fact, he had chose _Evil Twin III: Country Cousin_ specifically because it had a lot of suspenseful jumping out parts…ones that made someone watching it wish for someone nearby to scream with…ones that made people watching it want something (or someone) to jump and cling to, and he still felt that way even though he had seen it three times…so it stood to reason that it would make Helga feel the same and feel it like crazy if this was her first time…and he'd be right there for her to cling to. He blushed as he fiddled with the VCR. Making little corny plans like this so she'd hug him… '_If you told me two weeks ago that I'd ever…I swear I would have…_' He let out a sigh and shook his head and smiled to himself, finally having things all set up. No time to marvel about all that now, he had a date to finish.

Arnold stood up, brushed his hands together, and turned to his date. "Okay, we're all set, Helg—" He gave a serious gulp before finishing her name, "…ga…"

Arnold's severe stutter here was the result of the fact that he had turned to find Helga now sitting there on his couch not just relaxing like before but positioned very distinctly…with some of her hair over one of her eyes, a light blush upon her cheeks, her legs crossed and bent to the side coyly, and her arms shyly at her sides…and with one hand she was patting the free space on the couch right next to her. "Okay…" she said back to him in a light, kind, sweet voice, "Guess you should take your seat then, my darling, and we can…start the next part of our date, huh?"

Arnold's heart pounded in his chest. She looked so cute and pretty, so shy and sweet…and yet deep down she was still her same old funny, sassy, unstoppable self (just as she'd shown when talking about the movie selection for the evening just before)…and she was fluttering her eyelashes and gently beckoning him to join her…right near her…all alone up here with his Helga. He was blushing brightly and so very nervous! His smile was all goofy. "Y-Yes, um, m-my Helg—Whoa!" He'd taken not a step toward her when he instantly tripped over his own feet and came forward. "Oh, sorry I—" He froze and locked up! He had been about to apologize for tripping like that right into the couch...but he now realized he had tripped forward with his knees on the floor…into Helga…and his hands were on her dress over her knees! He turned bright scarlet and instantly backed away, still upon the floor! But then "OOF!" His head bumped right into the chair and TV and he rubbed the sore spot. "S-Sorry, I-I…" He managed to stand and then made his way over to the couch and sat down next to Helga, practically shaking! "Um, heh…there's a…a lot of grooves in the floor today, heh…" He swallowed at the sight of Helga still sitting there legs still crossed, hair still over one eye, resting her head against the back of his couch and practically smirking, though she was obviously trying to hide it.

"Um…" Arnold did his best to go on, wishing all this horrible awkwardness would end—he couldn't believe he was still this on edge. "I'll just press play then and we can-OH!" He'd grabbed the remote and fumbled it so badly but finally caught it, breathing heavily, and pressed play. He then put it down…and hoped she wouldn't think he was some kind of complete loser for all of this.

"Um…Arnold?" Arnold heard Helga ask, still in her nice voice but with a definite undertone of something sarcastic.

"Mmm hmm…" he replied, kind of glancing away, waiting for the blow to drop.

"Since I'm usually just kidding when I call you a klutz…" and then after that the sarcasm all slipped away as she finished, "Are you, um…nervous?" And indeed the word had just occurred to Helga…and it struck her as fascinating. She'd known he had felt a little awkward, a little unsure, a little overwhelmed maybe…but was he really actually this nervous about being up here with her?

Arnold's eyes went wide at the question and he blushed more. "Um…well, I…I mean…" He tugged at his collar and bowtie.

"Because, um…if you are…it's okay…I'm nervous too…" Helga quickly explained, glancing away. "But…you don't have to get so worked up about me…It's still just me. Helga. Just like I've been saying. I promise. Okay? I'm just smiling a lot more and threatening to hit you a lot less. And also, according to you, I'm pretty." She chuckled a little, trying to give him a light, little playful nudge to help make things better. This was probably a really big deal for him—his first officially planned date upstairs alone in his room with a girl. She wanted to be understanding.

Her little speech did the trick. Arnold warmly chuckled a little, and then finally managed to look at her, rubbing the back of his neck. "Um…thanks, Helga. And, um…I-I know it's still you. It's just that, well…" he glanced to the side sheepishly, "I don't, um…have the best track record with girls…and I really don't want to mess this up because…. I…I really like you a whole lot, Helga." He smiled more. "I _like_ like you…But I'm just…scared my old bad luck is going make me do or say something stupid and ruin it all." He shrugged, looking down with a touch of sincere concern.

"Arnold…" His eyes lifted as he felt her place a single finger under his chin, raising his head and turning it to face entirely in Helga's direction. She looked at him so very kindly. "All those other times with other girls…and um…I've kept track…as part of the whole 'stalking thing', heh…Well, um…they mostly weren't your fault. They were just…silly girls not appreciating you or seeing how wonderful you really are. But you tried and did your best every single time. It was always more them than you. You make mistakes, but you never screw up that badly, I promise." She winked at him.

Arnold's smile grew so much. "Really, Helga?" He raised an eyebrow with interest.

Helga nodded, releasing his chin. "You have my word, Arnold."

Arnold smiled. And then he considered…and then added with a small smile. "And, um…Helga…you know…I like you for you too… So, um…I mean, I'm starting to understand how you can be both this really loving sweet person and also your same sarcastic, funny self…So I want to make sure that you're being yourself around me as much as possible. I just want you to be comfortable…even if it means you act a little less girly or something. I'll still think you're great." He looked to her with so much honesty in his eyes.

Helga blushed. And then smiled. And then…

'Burp'

A tiny little burp escaped her.

She blushed more and shrugged sheepishly. "Um…excuse me, heh…What can I say, it was good grub."

Arnold just looked at her with an eyebrow raised…and then smiled warmly and burst into laughter! "Helga…you're funny."

Helga laughed too now, and they both just enjoyed the warm, happy moment together.

Arnold looked at her eventually, his laughter subsiding. He sighed and spoke to her normally. "Alright, well…now that that's all taken care of and we're a lot less nervous…"

Helga cleared her throat, crossed her arms over her chest and gave him a look and a smirk.

Arnold rolled his eyes. " Okay, now that I'M a lot less nervous…I guess I should start the movie."

She giggled. "Yeah, that would be nice, Arnold."

Arnold just gazed at her half-liddedly, chuckling a little too.

About ten seconds later he realized he was still just staring and he blushed and cleared his throat and turned away shyly. "Uh…I'll just, um…press play…" He heard her giggle again as he did so.

The movie began.

A few moments passed, and then Arnold's eyes glanced the side…and he scooched just a little closer to Helga with a blush.

She didn't seem to notice, luckily. She just sat, watching the movie with a smile.

He scooched a little closer…swallowed…and then faked a yawn…and let his arm come up around her shoulders.

Arnold felt Helga stiffen entirely and saw her blush out of the corner of her eye…and then she smiled. "Um…Arnold?"

"Y-Yeah?" He tried to sound casual. What if she didn't like this?

"Um…you're okay with me being myself, right?"

Arnold nodded. "Yeah."

"Okay…" And then suddenly Helga was snuggling completely against him from the side, and she took his arm and put it around her waist instead of shoulders. "I'd be a lot happier if you put the moves on me like this instead, Arnold."

"Uh, I, um…well, I…" He blushed so much! Putting the moves on her! And now his arm was around her waist and she was practically burying herself against him. Yes, she'd gotten this close last night but that had just been…something special between them…Would it…would it really be happening regularly? "Um…" his voice cracked a little. "O-Okay…"

"But only if you want to, of course!" Helga quickly added, glancing up at him seriously. "I don't want to make you uncom—" She paused…and trembled a little…and smiled.

Arnold had just pulled his fingers through the length of her hair. "I…am very, very comfortable like this…And, um…is it okay if I touch your hair sometimes? It's just…really pretty…and I've been wanting to touch it ever since this morning."

"Sure thing…Arnold…" She let out a sigh and got herself nice and cozy against him as the two of them watched the movie together…

Every once in a while a small, scary moment would happen that actually did make Helga jump a little and cling closer to Arnold (and every once in a while something even made HIM jump and cling to her a little)…and Arnold had NEVER been happier about one of his dates working out in his entire life.

* * *

Two hours later the movie ended…and Arnold and Helga were still cuddling on his couch…Arnold playing with Helga's hair a little sometimes, arm still around her waist…Helga just holding against him never having felt warmer or happier in her entire life (not counting last night of course).

"Well…that was a great sequel, Football Head…" she observed with a sigh as the credits rolled. "And it was nice to watch it with you…I like our dates, Arnold…I like you, Arnold."

Arnold's heart fluttered and he blushed a little. "I like our dates too, Helga…and I like you, Helga…"

Helga chuckled a little. "You're so corny, Arnoldo. Glad we're on the same page though."

Arnold gulped. "Yeah, we…seem to go really well together, don't we?"

Helga nodded, smiling to herself. "I always thought so." They were quiet together for a moment or two. Then she added softly to him, "Arnold…do you really think this is gonna work?"

He was quiet, not sure exactly what she meant, but he listened intently, waiting for her to go on.

"I mean…" Helga continued quietly, still trying to smile a little, "Do you really think that us like this could work out and last?" She glanced at him. "I'll understand if it doesn't, Arnold. I know it's a long shot in a lot of ways. But just, um…you know, promise me if this ends up not working for you that you'll let me know, okay? I'd appreciate that." She glanced down again and was quiet once more.

Oh, she… 'Oh.' Arnold leaned in a little closer to her. "Helga. You trust me, right?"

Helga glanced up at him and nodded, her eyes a little wide. "Of course."

Arnold went on. "Do you trust me enough to believe that…I…that even if…this didn't, um, work…that I'd…do everything I can to make sure you didn't get hurt…and to help you?"

Helga blinked a couple of times. Then she considered and nodded. "Yes, of course. But I just—"

He touched the side of her face, looking into her eyes. "Helga, if I felt like any of this was wrong, I'd tell you right away. I'm taking this whole thing with us very seriously. And I want the same thing from you—if something about this turns out not to work for you, just let me know too and we'll figure something out. But whatever happens, I'll do everything I can to make sure you don't get hurt." He smiled softly. "Just trust me enough to try with me a little with this, that's all I want from you."

Helga smiled softly in return. Then she hugged him from the side. "I love you, Arnold," left her in a warm sigh.

Arnold just savored her hug, and then when it was over her sighed happily and they just continued sitting beside each other again, very near each other.

And they were sort of glancing toward each other now because their faces were sort of close.

It became pretty obvious then to both of them what they might have wanted now.

Helga spoke very softly, blushing. "Arnold, we don't have to if you don't…if it'd be too much for, um…I know the last few days have h-had a lot to do with the heat of the moment…"

Arnold swallowed and blushed too, though he was smiling slightly, just like Helga was. "No, um…I wouldn't mind. Um…just slowly though, if that's okay…"

Helga nodded, smiling more. "Sure, that's fine." She leaned a little closer and moved some hair from her eyes.

Then they moved closer and kissed softly.

It was one kiss, but it lasted for several moments. Then they pulled apart slowly.

They were both a little flushed and breathing a touch heavily.

Helga let out a few more breaths before swallowing and speaking. "Um…that was nice. Really nice. Th-Thanks…"

Arnold caught his breath as well, "Yeah. Nice. Thank you too, Helga…" He moved away from her a little, blushing and with a funny smile on his dazed face.

Helga just smiled a touch hopefully to herself. But then she sighed. She had been trying to avoid it, but now (especially judging from how orange the sky was turning with the setting sun), the time was upon them. "Well, um...anyway, however 'nice' all of this has been, I think it's getting late now, Football Head, and I should probably get home soon." She didn't want to linger too long here. She had already spent the night last night and had him all to herself this morning. She wanted to leave and give him some time to think about their date and to think things over in general about them before he ate dinner and went to bed. Hadn't that been what he had seemed to want ever since her confession—time to think? She was definitely willing to give him some of that. She needed some of it herself actually.

Arnold couldn't help a touch of disappointment to hear she would be leaving now. But he understood. It had been a really full couple of days for both of them. She probably needed some time alone now with all of her thoughts and feelings—he knew he did at least. "If you want to, Helga." He shifted a little closer to her, swinging his feet a little. "Can I walk you home though? I-I promise if we see anyone I'll duck and hide somewhere." He laughed a little at the joke.

Helga laughed a little too, and she nodded of course. "Sure, Arnold. I'd like that a lot." She stood up from the couch with a smile and held out a hand to help him up. "Come on, let's take the fire escape—one of my favorite ways to get in and out of here." She grinned and headed over to his bed, climbing up to the skylight and out to the balcony of the fire escape. She popped her head back in through the window with a smile. "Not getting any younger out here, Football Head—what are you waiting for?"

Arnold just smiled up at her for a moment. He had just been watching her being so happy, and so open with him, laughing and being almost playful. His time with her like this was really starting to grow on him, and he had just wanted to savor the final moments of it before officially leaving his house and walking her home. Now he sighed and headed over to the bed, following after her. "Coming, Helga."

He joined her quickly and the two of them found their way down to the street and proceeded with the walk back to Helga's house.

* * *

"Well, here we are, Football Head, home sweet home for me. And thank you and your chivalry for 'escorting' me home." Helga grinned, leaning back against the rail of her stoop. It was twilight now, but there was still enough light for them to linger in their goodbye and for Arnold to get home before the streetlights came on.

Arnold, standing on Helga's stoop with her as he leaned against the opposite rail, just smiled at her with a half lidded sweet gaze. "You're welcome, Helga. I like getting to walk and talk with you, anyway. It's always, well…really interesting, like I keep saying." He shrugged, unsure of how else to put it. He just liked being with her a lot, that was all.

She grinned at him. "You sure are stuck on that word, aren't you?" Then Helga chuckled…and then she swallowed, digging one of her feet into one of her steps. "Well, um…maybe we could do it again soon. It and the whole date thing…you know, if you wanted." She shrugged.

Arnold's eyes lit up a little. "I-I'd like that a lot actually, Helga. When would you want to try?"

Helga's eyes lit up a little too now. "H-How about next weekend? We could spend some time in my room this time? Um…maybe go for a movie or a walk or something first. Whatever works."

"I'd like that, Helga. A lot." Arnold moved closer to her, and he spoke warmly and sincerely.

Helga smiled more and leaned a little closer. "Me too, Arnold."

Arnold was thinking of giving her a kiss goodnight. But then he bit his lip. He'd sort of had something on his mind, or rather at the back of his mind, since this morning. And he wanted to ask about it now, especially considering how well their date had gone and the fact that they had just planned another one. "Hey Helga?"

"Mmm hmm?" she asked, still smiling but raising part of her brow.

He…He really wasn't sure how to do this…so he just asked the question point blank. "A-Are we boyfriend and girlfriend now?" He felt himself turn scarlet—it had sounded utterly stupid to him coming out of his mouth.

Helga didn't say anything for a moment…quite a long moment (this fact didn't exactly do anything to boost Arnold's confidence about the validity of his question).

"A-Arnold?" she started slowly finally.

Arnold looked up into her eyes. "Yes?" He wanted to tell her that it was okay if she found something wrong with his question or wasn't ready for it, but he was lucky he'd managed to get out the 'yes' considering how nervous he was right now. He just hoped he could express it well enough with the amount of caring and consideration and compassion in his eyes as they met hers.

Helga looked down at him and gave a small but warm smile. "I would really love that one day…very very very much…and even more than that one day." She blushed and went on. "But, um…this whole thing is very important to me and so much has been happening so quickly. I need some time to adjust, to kind of feel like I'm on firm footing, you know? So, um…maybe after a few more dates…maybe after I'm sure that…that we really do work and that this isn't just some blissfully lucky fluke…we could cross that bridge? Is that alright with you too, Arnold?" She waited patiently for his response.

Arnold had been taking her words in and listening very carefully. He felt a tug of disappointment of course. It sort of would have been nice to have her grin and say 'yes, oh yes, of course we are!' and then dive into his arms or something passionate like that. But this kind of made more sense, in a way, he realized now. He nodded, smiling back to her. "That's alright with me too, Helga. I just wanted to check…but I think all of that makes sense, and I understand. We'll just take it one step at a time together."

He looked down then and stepped back shyly. "Anyway, I know you're probably tired and have stuff to do, so I should probably get going. Have a good ni—" Arnold paused, in movement and speech, as he felt Helga lean down and kiss him sweetly on the cheek.

When she pulled back he was still just standing there, eyes wide, cheeks rose, a little grin turning up at one corner of his mouth.

She just laughed warmly and shook her head. "You get flustered and surprised so easily, my beloved Arnold." Then she reached out and shook his hand. "Thanks for the great date, Football Head, and I'll see you at school tomorrow." She walked up to her door and opened it, and was about to slip in but then paused, leaning her head back out of the door toward him. "And thanks for being such a good sport. Goodnight to you too, Arnold." She blew him a kiss and then went inside.

* * *

Once officially inside and a good ten feet from the door, Helga proceeded to bound upstairs as quickly as possible and then shut her bedroom door behind her. Then she walked right over to her bed, collapsed upon it in ecstasy, and her phone was in her hand in a second. "Hello, Phoebe! Oh Phoebe, Oh Phoebe, Oh Phoebe!" She practically laughed as she spoke, she was so happy. "I just got back from my date!... Oh screw calling him ice cream, Phoebe! I just got back from a date with ARNOLD and it was heaven…" she sighed blissfully, "and he said he 'really really really like likes me!' Forget half way there! Forget more than half way there! We're like 85% there, Phoebe! That's a solid B! Oh Phoebe…I'm really happy…" Helga let all of that wash over her, "O-Oh and, how's stuff with Gerald…" Helga did her best to listen to her best friend (however much Phoebe would spill—she was even more of a private person than Helga in many ways), though her head was lost in other thoughts of a certain vein a fair amount of the time.

* * *

Outside, meanwhile, Arnold just leaned against the bottom of Helga's stoop for a bit with a dreamy grin on his features. Then finally, when the streetlights really did start to flicker on already and he knew he had to get home now, he sighed and started to walk down the street.

If this was love, Arnold figured he liked it.

Suddenly he blinked and blushed a lot. His thoughts raced quickly in an effort to comfort himself. _'Erm…h-her love. Love from her, if this is love from her, I like it. Not, um…not love as in love between us…mutually…a-as in I love Helga_.' This very strange, sort of numbing feeling came over him for a moment and he felt a little woozy. "Maybe Helga's right…" he mumbled to himself, "Maybe we do have to take things very very very slowly…" He swallowed and nodded to himself, continuing his walk to the corner of Vine Street.

And yet, deep down, underneath the fear and uncertainty and wonder, Arnold hadn't necessarily disliked that sudden feeling that had come over him. It had just been very new to him…and new things, wonderful or terrible, could always be a little scary at first.

He would keep that in mind and try to really let himself get in touch with the truth of his feelings as this whole thing between the two of them continued to endure and blossom.

* * *

**A/N:**

Thank you again for reading, and please review if you can. Like I said, next up is another Dinner and a Show update and an LTBH update, followed by as many regular updates as I can reasonably manage. Thank you all again for your patience!

Happy Reading!

~Azure129 aka Jenna


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